Donna Bordeaux (campgroundaccounting.com) records a short on-site video from Mount Desert Narrows Campground in Bar Harbor, Maine, arguing that campgrounds should offer meaningful fitness amenities to attract millennial guests. She reports observing many campers exercising, cites that millennials now make up roughly 65–75% of many campgrounds, and recommends investing in proper gym equipment or partnering with local gyms/yoga instructors and providing day-pass information to guests. She also notes fitness amenities can serve as owner/employee perks and be tax-deductible as equipment expenses.
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Hi, I'm Donna Bordeaux with campgroundaccounting.com I am on site today at Bar Harbor, Maine at Mount Desert Narrows Campground. And I was just sitting outside reading a book, enjoying some good outside weather, and I noticed some things as I looked around. I walked by four people today who were outside working out in front of their RVs in the morning. They were all in that millennial generation that we talked about and a few of them in the Gen X. But it made me want to record this video and talk to you about how important it is to have physical fitness activities at your campground. A gym, a fitness center, yoga classes, all of these are very popular. And your millennial customers want this. So as much as you may think that your campground is still in the boomers stage and the baby boomers, that's a fading generation and not the biggest population of your guests. If you double check your guests, your population is primarily going to be millennials. Now, they've done recent studies, they're going into 65 to 75% of a lot of campgrounds. Now here in Bar harbor, we're near Acadia national park, so there are a lot of people here who have a lot of fitness on their mind. They're ready to do hiking, go out and do some boating. And there's a lot of that characteristic in demographic of the guests at this campground. I've seen people with weight benches, free weights, doing yoga on their yoga mats out in front of their campers doing their push ups. I've seen people running. So in your campground, here's something that doesn't cost a whole lot that will improve the experience of your guests. Make sure that you have a room set aside for some fitness activities. And gone are the days where you can throw a treadmill and a recumbent bike into a room and call that a fitness center. That's not a gym. That's not what our population of your predominant guests are looking for. Now, you need to have some free weights, have some space with mirrors, with treadmills, with elliptical trainers. You're going to have to spend a little bit of money on the equipment. But this is going to pay great dividends long term, so make sure that that is available. I will also tell you that my son, when we travel, he doesn't like to go to the campground gyms because they usually don't have much in them. So he prefers to find a local gym and get a day pass. So if you don't even have the room or the area to create that kind of facility, check out the local gyms in your area. Work with them to have a list. Ask how much a day pass is. Provide that information to your guests along with the hours, the directions, or address to those gyms. Create a good relationship in your community with your local gym owners as well. Also, the same thing with yoga classes or some other types of activities like that. See if there's a local yoga instructor who will come into your campground and do classes for you and your guests. Having these types of amenities are also great perks for you as an owner. You can use your own gym and write off the equipment expense, which you otherwise wouldn't be able to do, or go to yoga class. Great perk for an owner or for your employees. So make sure that your campground is fit to have the Millennial crew join you and be paying guests and happy guests.
