Second Quarter Results Continue Strong Year for KOA
Kampgrounds of America reports a 65% increase in occupancy and adds six new construction contracts for impressive growth
KOA NEWS SERVICE (Jul. 16, 2021) – Building on a strong first quarter, Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) reported a 57.3% increase in revenue through June over 2020 in their recently released Q2 Business Report. Compared to the same period in a record 2019, revenue increased just over 28%. The company also saw growth in franchise contracts in the second quarter adding nine new campgrounds, including six new construction contracts. Additionally, KOA reports a positive outlook for the rest of the year, sharing that advanced deposits on future business at the end of the quarter were up over 66% from the same period last year.
Strong Short-Term Performance
KOA reports an 84.8% increase in short-term, year to date revenue through June over 2020 and a 34.3% increase over a record 2019. This continued increase in short-term performance indicates that the KOA brand continues to resonate strongly with the camping audience.
Across short-term business, KOA experienced growth in all areas. Occupancy in the first half of 2021 was 65.1% improved over 2020 and 18.5% over 2019.
“The second quarter of 2020 was the period most affected by business restrictions due to COVID-19,” said Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of KOA. “Prior to the onset of COVID-19 disruptions in mid-March last year, we were on pace to exceed 2019, our record year, by 10%. Last April, May and June were incredibly challenging so it’s powerful to see both year-over-year growth and the increases over 2019. At this point, we see no signs of KOA’s performance slowing down.”
With the increasing interest in camping, concerns over quality site availability have been raised across the camping industry. Realizing these challenges, KOA enhanced their search functionality within KOA.com in the second quarter. Guests can now search across locations in a given area by date for available sites across campgrounds.
“We know that more campers not only present opportunity, but also challenges,” O’Rourke said. “One of the major advantageous of having a system of campgrounds is providing tools to help guests find great sites more easily. This results in more campers having enjoyable stays and increasing their likelihood to continue camping in the future.”
Franchise Stability and Growth
KOA’s nine franchise contracts in the second quarter resulted from three new conversions and six new construction contacts. Campgrounds in Odessa, Texas; Knoxville, Illinois; and Junction City, Kansas converted to the KOA system.
An impressive six new construction contracts signed with KOA in the second quarter. These new contracts join three new construction contracts secured in the first quarter and 12 KOA campgrounds already in planning or construction stages.
“We are continuing to see a growing interest in greenfield development of campgrounds,” said O’Rourke. “As more people join the camping lifestyle, business owners are seeing the value in joining this industry and many new impressive campgrounds are being built. We love partnering in these new ventures and helping business owners maximize their potential.
An indication of franchisee satisfaction, KOA also had 100% renewal rate on existing franchise contracts in the second quarter of 2021.
Expansion of the Corporate Portfolio
KOA isn’t just seeing growth from the franchise business, but is also actively expanding their owned campground portfolio. In the second quarter of the year, KOA acquired two new campgrounds, both of which were previously franchised KOA locations. The company added Naples KOA Holiday in Maine and Asheville East KOA Holiday to their owned campground locations.
About Kampgrounds of America:
Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) is the world’s largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds with 525 locations across the U.S. and Canada united under the mission of “connecting people to the outdoors and each other.” The industry leader in outdoor hospitality, KOA’s family of campground brands – KOA Journey, KOA Holiday and KOA Resort – offer sites and amenities designed for every type of camping experience. In addition to unrivaled brand visibility, KOA offers campground owners unparalleled support, marketing, and technology. The company’s proprietary reservation software, K2, deliver’s campgrounds a completive advantage within the market. Founded in 1962 in Billings, Mont., KOA now serves more than a million camping families each year, who rely on the standards of excellence and unique outdoor adventures KOA is known for. For more information, visit KOA.com.