Keep on Camping, Folks

Bushfires have devastated large swathes of the country this spring and summer. Locals, their towns and their businesses have all been impacted. But how it plays out for them in the future is partially up to every domestic traveller.

In a bid to support affected regions, the Caravan Industry Association of Australia have launched a ‘Keep on Camping’ initiative that prompts travellers to choose fire-affected areas for their next travel destination.

The campaign is centred around a website (www.keeponcamping.com.au) that shows travellers the status of caravan parks in affected areas. Businesses can be marked as closed, preparing to reopen or open for business.

As the CIAA say, “The website has two separate phases that it will evolve through. In the first phase, the website acts as an informational website focused on providing consumers on the operating status of caravan parks within areas impacted by disaster and in the second phase evolves into a ‘call to action’ to consumers to return and repopulate these caravan parks and tourist-based communities.”

The platform is there to provide a digital marketing platform to affected caravan parks, and aspires to gain its full marketing potential through caravan park operators taking photos of their parks and the surrounding area and sharing them.

CIAA CEO Stuart Lamont had this to say: “Many of the affected areas should be in absolute peak season brimming with tourists, and yet whole regions remain closed with some caravan parks suggesting they may be weeks before re-opening.

“Once these affected areas re-open, the need for tourist visitation will be vital to assisting these communities and businesses to start the long process of getting back on their feet.”