Passenger Transportation - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 112

Recreation Vehicles

The segment deserves special mention because, according to the Recreation

Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), there are currently 8.3 million RVs on the road in the United
States, enjoyed by some 30 million enthusiasts. One in twelve vehicle-owning households has an RV,
with ownership predicted to increase to 8.5 million by the year 2011. RVers travel an average of 4,500
miles per year, spending 26 days in their vehicle. In Canada, estimates put privately owned RVs at
500,000 to 850,000. While the RV market has had its ups and downs because of events such as the
energy crisis, the recession, and the Iraq war, the market for recreation vehicles is huge, with sales
ranging from $8 billion to $14 billion a year. 4
Slide-out technology, introduced during the mid-1990s, has now advanced to become available in
living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. At the touch of a button, this mechanism lets a
portion of the room and the objects in it, such as a couch, table, or refrigerator, slide outward up to
about 3 1 / 2 feet. Slide-outs are available in a wide variety of RVs: motor homes, mini-motor-homes,
travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, and even folding camping trailers. Electronics have also come to RV
travel, with direct broadcast satellite systems, computer hookups, onboard global positioning systems
(GPS), and rearview monitors now popular options.
The typical U.S. RV owner is 49 years old, is married, owns a home, and has an annual income of
$68,000. A University of Michigan study indicates that intentions to purchase an RV are strongest
among baby boomers. Nearly 9 percent of households headed by 35- to 54-year-olds own an RV,
slightly exceeding the 8.6 percent ownership rates of those 55 years old and over. 5
Of increasing economic signi cance is the steady rise in RV rentals. The Recreation Vehicle Rental
Association (RVRA) reports that its members are experiencing signi cant growth, and strong demand
has encouraged hundreds of businesses to enter the rental market, while others have expanded their
operations. More than 400 national RV rental chain outlets and local RV dealerships offer state-of-
the-art, late-model-year vehicles for rent.
Travel agencies around the world are responding to the demand by including RV rental information
in their customer brochures. Also available from some rental dealers are comprehensive tour packages
that include services such as airline and railway connections for fly/drive and rail/drive plans, one-way
packages, off-season rates, vacation planning, guided escort tours, and campground discounts. The
recent surge of foreign visitors has helped increase the RV rental market. Visitors from Japan, Australia,
New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are major customers. An estimated half million overseas
visitors a year rent RVs. Visit the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association Web site at www.rvia.org .

recreation vehicle (RV)

Highways and Scenic Byways

Automobile travel in the United States has received a boost from the National Scenic Byways

program . The Intermodal Surface Transportation Ef ciency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) established the Scenic

Byways program, which provided $80 million over six years for carrying out eligible programs on
designated scenic byways. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the United States has 4
million miles of roads, and approximately 51,500 have been designated as or are potential scenic
byways. All 50 states have existing byways, with an average of nine routes per state. An ISTEA
reauthorization bill, the Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty- rst Century (TEA-21), became law
on June 9, 1998, and ensured continuation of the National Scenic Byways program. The act called for
$148 million for improvements to roads of scenic or historic value. TEA-21 provided 40 percent more
funding for transportation than the 1991 law it replaced, authorizing a six-year expenditure of $216
billion. TEA-21 was reauthorized in 2005 as SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Ef cient
Transportation Equity Act A Legacy for Users) with guaranteed funding for highways, highway safety,

and public transportation totaling $244.1 billion. SAFETEA-LU represents the largest surface trans-
portation investment in U.S. history.

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