The CamperMate app, New Zealand’s number one road travel experience app, with almost 2 million users (across NZ and Australia), is demonstrating how a strong and immediate take-up in future travel for day trips and anticipated future overnight stays, is set to transpire as we safely navigate out from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is well proven New Zealanders love to travel and holiday – even for a day trip or short break. And the forced shutdown of international as well as much of domestic travel, the right thing to do to support the public health response to coronavirus, has made us more cautious and community minded during this time.
Respected and senior tourism leader, CamperMate CEO Nick Baker, said the rapidly developing green shoots now occurring with the CamperMate road travel experience app closely correlate with predicted pent up demand to get-on-the-road and travel activity across NZ in the weeks ahead.
Baker said CamperMate’s surge in users over the month of May, a compound growth of at least 140 percent each week, is exciting news and a real-life indicator for more positive times ahead for beleaguered tourism businesses, the regions and dynamic Kiwi cities which are desperately ready to welcome people back. He said CamperMate’s strong heritage across NZ was also playing well in a revitalised domestic travel market.
“Last week our CamperMate App was downloaded by 5000 new users! This is a fraction of what we usually see when tourism is fully firing. But the current triple digit growth rate in users of the App is very clear to us and demonstrates there are genuine green shoots in the road back for tourism right across NZ,” Mr Baker said.
“Our rapidly increasing numbers of users of the CamperMate app highlights that many people are planning to embrace road trips perhaps around the Queen’s Birthday holiday and soon after winter break for schools in July.
“This is an exciting prospect for our visitor hot spots and to encourage people to get back out there!”
The former senior executive of Tourism Australia and Voyages Group said CamperMate’s App performance numbers paint a realistic picture of how and when people will embrace the chance to travel again.
“At CamperMate we predict this will again become the case as clear further easings of restrictions and encouragement of domestic travel and beyond transpire,” Baker said.
Baker said since CamperMate’s inception it had been a strong supporter and partner of NZ industry with its history of delivering data insights well reflecting road trip travel including RV, campervans and motorhomes. It has become an information tool feeding into government and industry planning on both sides of the Tasman and sustains a strong partnership with NZ Mountain Safety Council.
“CamperMate possesses an innovative new in-trip booking platform for thousands of accommodation and experience options,” Mr Baker said. “CamperMate’s value to users is also pulling live data from service providers so travellers have truly localised updates on the latest offers, accessibility, weather and travel conditions before making a pre or in-trip booking.
“Increasingly this is the way many people are now travelling by making decisions in trip! CamperMate’s evolving features now make it even more appealing and practical to the emergent Kiwi domestic traveller.”
The CamperMate app is available to download free on IOS and Android devices and is supported by leaders in the New Zealand and Australian caravan and RV industry including Tourism Holdings, Jayco and Discovery Parks Australia.
