A new report confirms recent KOA, RVIA and Go RVing studies that new campers are increasingly more diverse.
The Dyrt’s 2022 Camping Report found 40% of people who went camping for the first time in 2021 identified as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color). The total is up from 23% in 2018, a 67% increase in four years.
“Our mission from the very beginning has been to make camping easier and more accessible for everyone,” said Sarah Smith, co-founder of The Dyrt. “Seeing these statistics is so encouraging. The camping community is becoming increasingly more diverse, and that is a wonderful trend that we hope continues. The outdoors are truly for everyone.”
The report found 8.3 million people went camping in the U.S. for the first time in 2021. New campers who identify as BIPOC totaled 3.3 million. The report found one in five Americans camped last year.
The report is based on a random sample of thousands of The Dyrt users, as well as two separate third-party surveys. The Dyrt also interviewed some respondents.
Zixuan “Felicity” Meng of Alberta, Canada, said: “My family went to an RV show and we were inspired to buy a trailer. As a person with a mild intellectual disability, I would say to anyone with a disability, go camping — it can boost your confidence as a person and bring you fullness and happiness. I love camping, end of story.”
