If you own or operate an RV park, campground, or outdoor resort, the latest RVIA shipment report deserves more than a quick glance. As we look at campground industry trends in 2026 and where the market may be headed over the next several years, the latest shipment data raises some interesting questions.
The July 2026 report shows total RV shipments falling 11.9% compared with July 2025. Through the first seven months of the year, total shipments were down 13.9%. Towable shipments fell 9.8% year over year in July, while motorhome shipments dropped 25.6%. This is a trend that we have seen from this same monthly report over the last 7 months. (rvia.org)
That is the headline most people will notice—but it is not the part I find most interesting. Coupling it with Park Model RV shipment data: 410 units in July 2026 compared with 316 in July 2025, an increase of 29.7%. Year to date, Park Model RV shipments were up 23.6%. (rvia.org) That difference may be telling us where outdoor hospitality is headed next and how campground owners, investors, and developers are preparing for a new demographic of travelers, and has me asking:
Are campground and RV park operators shifting a greater share of their properties from guest-owned RV sites toward operator-owned bookable accommodations?
2026 Park Model RV Shipments Are Moving Against the Trend
One report does not prove a trend. Shipment numbers are not the same thing as bookings, occupancy, or revenue. They do not tell us exactly why a manufacturer shipped more units or which properties will ultimately purchase them. I tried to find and correlate the shipment data to registration data, but we don’t seem to be at that level of data insight in the industry yet.
Still, the pattern is difficult to ignore.
In June 2026, Park Model shipments were also up 25.5% year over year, while total RV shipments were down 13.1%. Through the middle of the year, Park Model RV shipments were up 22.7%. (rvia.org)
So while much of the traditional RV market is pulling back, Park Model RVs have continued to move forward.
My hunch is this: property owners are looking beyond the traditional RV site for growth.
They are asking a different question.
Instead of asking only how many sites they can fill with guests who own towable RVs or motorhomes, operators are thinking more broadly about the future of their properties:
- How can we create more bookable inventory?
- How can we attract guests who do not own an RV?
- How can we make better use of land we already have?
- How can we earn more from a site than a standard nightly hookup allows?
- How can we give guests a reason to choose our property instead of the campground down the road?
These are business strategy questions—questions about growth, land utilization, revenue, customer acquisition, and long-term competitiveness.
There are many ways operators can answer them—and adding accommodations like Park Models is one giant elephant, and is what makes the increase in Park Model RV shipments particularly interesting.
The shipment data does not tell us why more Park Models are being shipped or who is purchasing them. But it does raise a reasonable question:Are more outdoor hospitality operators looking to accommodations they own and rent as part of their growth strategy?
If so, the increase in Park Model shipments may be less about a single product category and more about a broader shift in how operators are thinking about their properties, their inventory, and the guests they want to serve.
Campground Industry Trends Point to a New Guest to Plan For
For years, many campgrounds built their business around a simple assumption: guests would bring the accommodation with them.
The park provided the site, hookups, roads, amenities, and setting. The guest supplied the RV and all the external connection and setup equipment along with internal contents like, bedding, cooking utensils and equipment, and much much more.
That model still matters. It is not going away.
But it has a built-in limitation. Your potential customer needs to own, rent, borrow, or tow a reasonably capable RV. That requires money, equipment, confidence, and often a fairly serious relationship with camping.
A growing number of travelers want the outdoor experience without purchasing a travel trailer, learning how to back up a fifth wheel, or spending their vacation troubleshooting a water heater.
That creates an opening for properties that offer accommodations on site.
Park Model RVs are one response to that opportunity. Covered wagons, cabins, safari tents, domes, and other distinctive structures are another.
The common thread is that these units allow a property to welcome guests who may love the outdoors but do not arrive with a rig in tow.
That is why I believe the shipment data deserves attention. The future customer for many outdoor hospitality properties may not be the person who owns an RV. It may be the person who wants to stay somewhere memorable, get back to nature, and unplug—but wants the property to provide the accommodations that make that experience possible.
Campgrounds Are Expanding Beyond the Traditional RV Guest
Over the last two years, we have spent a great deal of time paying attention to what campground owners, resort operators, developers, and investors are discussing at shows, lunch-and-learns, industry events, and conversations across the outdoor hospitality space, to better understand campground industry trends and how we can best serve them.
The properties getting the most attention are not always the biggest properties.
They are often the ones doing something different with the land they already have.
They are adding accommodations that allow them to attract a new audience. They are converting underused areas and sites into lodging. They are creating glamping sections. They are investing in premium accommodations and adding thoughtful amenities that give guests more reasons to stay longer, return sooner, and share the experience with friends.
That is not an accident.
When a campground adds an accommodation, it can reach a new audience without abandoning its existing RV guests. A property can continue serving traditional campers while also offering a more comfortable, more accessible, and more experience-driven option.
That is where accommodation becomes part of the larger business strategy. It expands who the property can serve, creates another source of revenue, and gives operators more ways to make the land they already have work harder.
The park is no longer dependent on one type of guest with one type of equipment.
It becomes a place where different people can stay in different ways.
Reaching a New Audience Is Only Part of the Opportunity
Adding bookable accommodations can open a campground to new guests and new revenue, but simply adding another place to sleep does not automatically make it a strong investment.
Operators still have to consider what they are getting for that investment. Every new accommodation comes with costs beyond the unit itself, and need to be considered in the overall value it can bring, operators should consider additional costs related to:
- Site preparation
- Needed vs existing infrastructure & utilities
- Delivery & installation costs & timelines
- Furnishings
- Maintenance, and operational factors related to the unit being bookable
If an operator is going to make that investment, the accommodation should do more than provide a place to sleep. An important question to ask is:Is there a reason a guest would choose it?
Travelers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for stays that offer something beyond the ordinary—a memorable experience, modern comfort, privacy, thoughtful amenities, or an accommodation they simply cannot stay in everywhere else.
That is where a distinctive accommodation can create additional value.
If two accommodation types require a similar overall investment to put into operation, but one can command a stronger nightly rate, attract greater interest, or become a reason guests choose the property in the first place, the investment conversation changes. The question is no longer simply, “How much does this unit cost?” It becomes, “What can this unit earn?”
A covered wagon is one example. Like a cabin, Park Model RV, dome, or other lodging option, it solves the fundamental need: providing a bookable accommodation for a guest who does not bring their own.
But operators should also consider what it takes to get that accommodation from purchase to producing revenue. PlainsCraft covered wagons offer several practical advantages:
- Arrive fully furnished: Units arrive ready for final setup without requiring operators to separately source and install furniture.
- Two wagons can ship on one semi: This can help reduce freight costs per unit when adding multiple accommodations.
- Can utilize existing full-hookup sites: Wagons can connect to a 50-amp full-hookup site, allowing some properties to take advantage of infrastructure they already have rather than developing an entirely new site.
- Can be ready for booking quickly: Once delivered to a prepared site, setup can be completed in a matter of days rather than requiring a lengthy on-site construction process.
- Can be relocated: Because the wagons are built on wheels, operators have flexibility to move a unit if they identify a better location or need to relocate it when severe weather is a concern.
- May offer advantages over permanent construction: Depending on local and state regulations, movable accommodations may be treated differently for permitting, zoning, property tax, or floodplain requirements. Operators should always verify the requirements for their specific property.
Then there is what the guest sees. A covered wagon isn’t simply a place to sleep. Its distinctive design becomes part of the experience itself—something guests seek out, photograph, remember, and recommend.
The investment decision, then, isn’t just about the price of the unit. Operators should consider the total cost to make it bookable, how quickly it can begin generating revenue, how well it works with the property they already have, and what guests may ultimately be willing to pay to stay in it.A bed gives someone a place to stay. The right accommodation gives them a reason to book—and your property another way to grow.
For operators planning their next phase of growth, that distinction matters.
What Guests Are Willing to Pay Matters
The cost of adding an accommodation is only one side of the investment. Operators also need to consider what that accommodation has the potential to earn.
The 2026 Glamping Market Overview from Sage Outdoor Advisory offers one useful benchmark. Across the private commercial glamping properties included in its research, average daily rates vary considerably by accommodation type: covered wagons average $385 per night, domes $394, cabins $354, and mirror cabins $458.
Those rates should not be treated as a forecast for an individual campground. Location, amenities, seasonality, demand, property experience, and the accommodation itself all influence what guests are willing to pay.
But the range is worth paying attention to.
If operators are going to invest in providing the accommodation, they should consider not only what it costs to put that unit into service, but what revenue potential that investment creates once it is bookable.
That brings the decision back to the bigger business question: not simply What accommodation can we add? but …What accommodation makes the most sense for our property, our guests, and the return we want that investment to produce?
Why RV Parks Have an Advantage When Adding Accommodations
Existing RV parks and campgrounds are not starting from scratch.
Many already have:
- Utility connections
- Roads and internal circulation
- Bathhouses or restroom infrastructure
- Reservation systems
- On-site teams
- Established guest traffic
- Reviews and brand recognition
- Land that may be underused or ready for a new purpose
That existing foundation can make accommodation expansion more practical than it appears from the outside.
The opportunity is not always to build an entirely new resort. In many cases, it is to make the current property more useful, more flexible, and more attractive to a wider group of guests.
A few accommodations placed thoughtfully can create a new lodging category without changing the entire identity of the park.
A larger property may develop a dedicated glamping area. A smaller campground may add two or three units near an underused section of the property. A seasonal park may add accommodations that create additional revenue outside the traditional RV calendar.
The right answer will depend on the land, utilities, local regulations, guest mix, and operating model.
The Future of RV Parks Still Includes the Traditional RV Guest
To be clear, I am not suggesting that campground owners stop investing in traditional RV sites, amenities, activities, site setups, etc… RV guests remain an important part of the outdoor hospitality market. Well-designed RV sites, reliable hookups, clean facilities, shade, access, and good service will continue to matter.
The point is diversification.
If towable and motorhome shipments remain under pressure, it may reflect more than economic conditions. It may also signal a growing audience that wants the outdoor experience without investing in RV ownership. Properties with on-site accommodations are positioned to serve both—the traditional RV guest and travelers who want the property to provide the accommodation.
That is a hypothesis, not a guarantee.
But it is a reasonable one to consider when the shipment data shows Park Model RVs moving in the opposite direction from much of the broader RV market.
The strongest operators are rarely betting everything on one customer type.
They are building options.
Why Accommodation Flexibility Matters for the Future of RV Parks
A campground that only offers standard sites has one primary offering.
A campground with RV sites, tent sites, cabins, Park Model RVs, and unique accommodations has more ways to serve the market.
That flexibility can help a property respond to changing guest preferences, seasonal demand, and local competition. It can also make the property more appealing to guests who may never have considered booking a traditional campground.
This is where accommodation strategy becomes bigger than simply adding units. A more diverse mix of ways to stay can help a property reach new guests, give existing guests new reasons to return, and create more ways to compete for their business.
For operators, that means the property is not tied to one type of traveler or one way of camping. As the market changes, they have more ways to adapt with it.
Of course, adding accommodations also adds operational responsibility. On-site accommodations require cleaning, maintenance, marketing, guest communication, and thoughtful site planning. The best-looking unit in the world will not solve poor operations.
But when the accommodation, infrastructure, operations, and guest experience work together, operators have more ways to serve their guests—and more ways to grow.
PlainsCraft’s View on Campground Industry Trends
At PlainsCraft, we believe the accommodation should carry its share of the guest experience.
Our covered wagons are built for campgrounds, RV parks, glamping resorts, and other outdoor hospitality properties that want to create memorable places to stay. Each wagon combines an authentic look with modern comfort, including all-season design, premium interiors, and options such as integrated bathrooms. (plainscraft.net)
For properties that need shared or separate restroom facilities, PlainsCraft also offers Shower Houses and Outhouses designed to complement the guest experience from end to end. (plainscraft.net)
The goal is not to force every property into the same model.
The goal is to help operators think through what fits their land, their guests, and their business plan.
What These Campground Industry Trends Could Mean for the Future
The July 2026 RVIA shipment report gives campground and RV park owners, operators, investors, and developers a reason to pay attention—not just to what is happening in the RV industry today, but to what it could mean for outdoor hospitality over the next three to five years.
Traditional towable and motorhome shipments are down. Park Model RV shipments are up. That does not tell us the entire story, but it may be one signal of a larger shift: a growing opportunity to serve travelers who want the outdoor experience without owning or bringing the accommodation themselves.
No one data point can predict where the industry is headed. But operators who recognize changes in how people want to travel—and give themselves more ways to serve those guests—may be better positioned for whatever comes next.You are not only selling a site. You are selling a reason to stay.
For many properties, the next stage of growth may not come from adding more of the same. It may come from expanding who can stay, how they can stay, and the experiences your property can offer them.
PlainsCraft is ready to help campground and RV park owners, operators, investors, developers, and management groups prepare for that opportunity. Whether you are looking to reach travelers beyond the traditional RV-owning audience, create new bookable inventory, generate more revenue from your existing property, or build a more diverse accommodation mix, we can help you explore what that next phase of growth could look like.
The future of outdoor hospitality is still being written. Let’s make sure your property has more ways to be part of it.
