Greg Gerber posted on March 17, 2008 09:51
ATLANTIC CITY - Gasoline priced at $3-plus per gallon is a critical issue at the Atlantic City RV & Camping Show, where most vehicles weigh tens of thousands of pounds.
Gas prices are also a critical issue for southern New Jersey's dominant tourism industry, which has 71 of the state's 108 RV parks, according to RV Parks USA.
The three-day event, the last of four big recreational vehicle events ahead of the season, shows a resiliency in the RV market that should carry over into summer tourism.
Earle Humphries, owner of Cape Atlantic RV in Galloway Township, has seen the impact of costly fuel on the industry, whose sales last year were down 9.5 percent. Fortunately, he said Friday, it has mainly hit motorized recreational vehicles which get poorer mileage, while his large dealership specializes in towed vehicles that are thriftier.
Driftwood RV Center, another big dealership with locations in Egg Harbor Township and Clermont, had its best January/February sales period ever, according to Bob Farnsworth, sales manager of the EHT center.
He said people might choose a closer camping destination because of gas prices, but they're still favoring an RV.
Farnsworth said the dealership recently has sold several of a new Fleetwood model the size of a minibus.
The Icon, built on a Dodge chassis with a Mercedes diesel power train, can sleep five and gets 22 mpg, he said. With a suggested price of $100,000, it's priced $79,777 at the show.
His counterpart at the Clermont center, Bob Androckitis, said park models - mobile homes on wheels towed to parks and set up for the season - also have been selling well.
SOURCE: Press of Atlantic City