Page 4587 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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(d) the lack of RV infrastructure in the ACT, including the lack of public black and grey water dumping points and insufficient places to stay;
(e) there are no free overnight parking for self-contained RVs in the ACT; and
(f) the ACT is often bypassed by RV tourists due to a lack of infrastructure; and
(2) calls on:
(a) the ACT Government to work with the Campervan Motorhome Club of Australia to become recognised as an “RV friendly town”; and
(b) the ACT Government to develop a strategy for attracting RV tourism to the ACT.
I am pleased to bring this motion to the Assembly today. It raises an issue in the tourism space right under our noses that has been largely ignored. They are a familiar sight on Australian roads and make up a huge proportion of the tourism market. I am referring to the recreational vehicle fraternity, or RV tourism as it is colloquially termed.
Currently in Australia it is valued at about $19 billion in economic terms and brings with it significant benefits. There are approximately 650,000 recreational vehicles registered in Australia. Research shows that an estimated $770 per week is spent by travellers whilst they are on the road. A large part of this fraternity is made up of those who are deemed—and take no offence at this, Madam Deputy Speaker—grey nomads.
From the ACT’s perspective, getting travellers to stay an extra night in Canberra, let alone a week, would be a great step towards boosting our tourism numbers, supporting local business and growing our economy.
The Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia is the largest RV club in the southern hemisphere and has over 70,000 members. Many of us would have enjoyed caravanning or camping, either on holidays that we take ourselves on currently or as younger people growing up, or we most definitely would know someone who does. Whether it is a state-of-the-art motorhome or a retro pop-top, we have all in some way or another experienced what it is like to hit the road and enjoy a holiday. It is a community. Whether it is the so-called grey nomads, overseas tourists who choose this mode of travel, or families, just like all communities, this one is diverse in its makeup and likewise in its needs.
Just like the demographic of the travelling community, recreational vehicles have changed a great deal over the years. The latest technology has changed. The expectations of the RV market have changed, as have their requirements. Motorhomes and top-end caravans are often self-contained, obviously with on-board sleeping but also now with showers, toilets, water storage, blackwater storage, solar generation for their own electricity and the ability to go essentially off the grid for days on end.
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