Look to the future
Here’s hoping the camping industry will rise from the ashes and enter a bright future with innovative ideas and renewed zeal, says Neels van Heerden.
Former US president Lyndon B Johnson once said: “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” When you find the largest and most popular caravan park on the KwaZuluNatal South Coast sending a distress signal to its regular customers by asking for donations, the enormous pressure the the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the camping industry becomes crystal clear. When we look at what lies ahead, however, there are some bright spots here and there on the horizon. In May, dealers were able to reopen their doors. The future market conditions with regards to the purchase and sale of camping vehicles, however, are still uncertain. Judging by conversations on social media, campers are eagerly looking forward to dusting off their gear and hitting the road. Let’s hope the industry can rise from the ashes and enter a bright future with innovative ideas and renewed vigour.
CAMPSITES WILL HAVE to work extremely smart to emerge stronger after lockdown has been lifted. As a starting point, the current status of camping needs to be heightened. I recently called in to Radio 702 to voice my opinion on the government’s tourism aid fund, which, in my opinion, has significant shortcomings. One example: the fund ignores the more than a thousand campsites that are fighting for survival. The show’s host, who knew nothing about camping, described the camping industry as a living organism or ecosystem – an apt summation. The economic prosperity of a town or region depends on the collective success of all nearby campsites, after all. At the moment, only KwaZulu-Natal has a governing association that promotes the interests of campsites in their region. You won’t find that anywhere else in South Africa. Owners need to start working together in their regional context, for example in the Eastern Cape, Brits, Bela-Bela and Dinokeng, to build a brighter future. Then, all campsites must get their paperwork in order and take out unemployment insurance immediately. In the tourism industry, all small businesses obtain B-BBEE status if their turnover is less than R5 million a year – regardless of ownership, and this also applies to campsites. By completing a standard form, the campsite will at least get their B-BBEE 4 status.
THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY should pursue best business practices over the next year or so. Experts predict that the virus will remain a danger for a long, long time. Therefore, standards need be set quickly to, for example, keep ablution facilities sanitised and apply proper sanitation practices all round. The ultimate goal of such an ongoing process is to keep staff and guests safe and sound. Visionary entrepreneurs could create products and services in towns or even regions. Campsites could band together to buy sanitary products in bulk in order to be able to negotiate better prices from wholesalers. Kudos to the Kleine Bela Resort for how they adapted to the pandemic. The resort spotted the market for long-term camping in May and provided eight very spacious stands for isolation purposes. They isolated guests for two weeks on a stand with private ablution facilities. All guests’ temperatures were measured daily and at the end of the quarantine period, guests could move to the communal campsite. The resort provided daily delivery services for basic goods and even medications, with fresh produce also available daily. At Kleine Bela there is, among other things, a hiking trail in the mountain, mountain-biking trails, a mini golf course and two swimming pools. It is therefore the ideal place for lockdown – campers were even allowed to bring small dogs. With this idea, the campsite created a distinctive business model that provided them with a much-needed cash injection. And, in the process, they have also created a long-term loyal customer base. Well done!