In these troubled times with so much uncertainty around the world, the fuel supply and price issues are perhaps the biggest worries on everyone’s minds, and perhaps even more so in Australia where distances are vast and isolation is a huge factor.

Food production by farmers and heavy transport needed to move produce around the country to places far and wide obviously take precedence over leisure and holidays, and it goes without saying that these industries and emergency services should be looked after first, but just for arguments sake, I found a few interesting statistics on how much the caravan and camping industry contributes to the country’s economy.

A state of the industry report for 2025 has revealed that 10.6 billion was added to the economy from domestic visitor expenditure and when you include caravan parks, manufacturing and trade to that it’s a whopping 27.1 billion impact to the Australian economy annually.

Interestingly of the caravan and camping trips taken, 91% of them were to regional areas, and the dominant age range segment in the 2025 report was the 30-54 group. The family market was the largest segment of travellers.

Another interesting statistic I found, was the top 20 activities for those caravan and camping which seemed to fall into two categories. Firstly there were activities that definitely would contribute a much needed financial boost to regions and the second group were free or inexpensive activities for travellers to do.

The number one activity for travellers on caravan holidays was ‘eating out / dining at restaurants or cafes’ which would obviously contribute greatly to regional economies and other activities that would help included shopping for pleasure, attending markets, festivals and cultural events.

Of the free or relatively cheap activities, it was interesting to see how many would not be taxing on fuel usage once you had arrived, which included bushwalking, going to the beach, fishing, exercising, visiting museums and art galleries, cycling and other outdoor healthy pursuits.

Based on these statistics I hope caravanners won’t be discouraged from travelling, especially if the trips were to regional areas where tourism adds such a boost to the local economy and visitors can be encouraged to participate in some healthy outdoor pursuits that didn’t involve too much incidental travel.

The ways I can see the caravanning community contributing to regions without being a burden include:

• Walking everywhere when possible once at your destination
• Try land based fishing and buy tackle, and bait at your destination
• Buy food locally and visit farmers markets
• Make use of walking and cycling paths, a great way to learn about the local area
• Eat out and enjoy the hospitality
• Speak with locals and other travellers to gain tips on places to see
• Visit local museums and art galleries, perhaps buying from a local artist

Here‘s hoping we can continue a little sensible and beneficial travel in the months ahead.

Cheers

Glenys