RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than 12,000 people are expected to head to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds this weekend for the 34th annual North Carolina RV Dealers Association Show.
Experts told CBS 17 that while purchasing an RV is an investment, they believe the pandemic and the high cost of travel is driving stable sales.
“We have probably every kind of RV here from small teardrop campers to the luxurious Class A campers,” said Jeff Haughton, the show manager.
About 200 different types of RVs were on display, for people to walk through and examine.
Some boasted king beds and big screen TVs, while other campers were smaller, with the ability to hitch to the back of a truck.
“A lot of RVs are bought and sold here,” said Haughton.
He said the economy hasn’t changed the minds of thousands of people who walk through the Jim Graham Building at the fairgrounds.
They were all on a mission to find an RV that was right for them and their family.
Haughton told CBS 17 the RV industry is projected to grow in 2023.
“We’re actually finding RV travel is a preferred way to travel now since the pandemic,” he explained. “So, RV sales are strong, and the industry is doing quite well.”
Monique and Terence Coles have been doing their RV research for three years.
“We want to travel the country. We do it every summer, but now we want to do it in a RV,” said Monique Coles.
They’re finally ready to make this long-awaited purchase.
“It’s the best way to travel. You don’t have to go to these hotels, you can just stay in your own place and comfort,” she said.
The Morrisville couple is not worried about inflation and the economy.
“It’s just timing,” Coles said. “It affects a lot of people, but not everybody.”
They’re ready to retire and begin their lives out on the open road.
“We’re always looking from the highway, we don’t get a chance to go into the cities and towns. We see the mountains, we see the lakes, and we see the desert, but we want to see it from the RV,” said Coles. “To be able to stop and be able to enjoy it and enjoy our USA because it’s beautiful.”
While local officials are excited about RV sales this year, nationally, there have been concerns about lower sales.
