RV Sales Increase In Wake Of Coronavirus Pandemic

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Campgrounds and RV parks that have been allowed to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic have been filling up quick and rental companies said they, too, have seen a dramatic increase in interest.

And travel experts said that interest is likely to continue due to social distancing guidelines and the relative safety of traveling in a self-contained vehicle where people can control the cleanliness of their environment, cook their own food and keep away from others.

El Monte RV, which has several locations in Los Angeles County, said rentals and sales have spiked in the wake of the pandemic — roughly 400% in the month of April — with a number of first-time buyers.

"It's going really well for us at the moment," Gordon Hewston, SVP of El Monte RV, said. "Obviously that's what people want to do, they want to go camping.

And while many private campgrounds have reopened, the owner of Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort in San Dimas said the county has not yet given them approval to open — forcing the company to cancel all 250 Memorial Day reservations.

The owner said he hoped to reopen in the coming week.