The 2007 summer camping season has begun at Living Forest Oceanside RV and Campground in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. It’s been a long winter, but the Living Forest construction staff has worked feverishly through the wet and chilly season building another 40 premium recreational vehicle sites to bring the total number of sites up to 300.
More and more people are camping and RV’ing these days, but the supply of campsites has been declining on Vancouver Island. Real estate prices are partly to blame with a number of owners taking advantage of high property values to convert their campgrounds into ‘buy or lease your site’ facilities, or redeveloping them as condominium or housing subdivisions.
“Our occupancy rates have been climbing steadily every year, but last year we were extremely busy”, according to Living Forest manager David Littlejohn, head of an extended family that makes up much of the staff. “Recently, we were notified by RV West Magazine that in a survey, their readers had given us a gold medal as their favourite private RV park in British Columbia., so we know people like our product. The problem is capacity, especially on weekends, so we’ve built 40 new sites which will be ready in time for the summer rush.”
The high price of gas and ferries, means that more and more Vancouver Island residents stay on the island for their camping adventures, and the Living Forest has become a favorite of some ‘regulars’. “With over 50 acres of forest and water on three sides, our guests find particular sites that they really enjoy and book the same site again and again”, says Littlejohn.
The other growing RV’er clientele at Living Forest is international, mostly from Europe. They tend to arrive in either Calgary or Vancouver and rent an RV for a few weeks. Their aim is to see the Canadian Rockies, the Okanogan Valley, and Vancouver Island. David explains, “We have a great relationship with the RV rental companies. They know we offer a great product and that we treat their customers well. We’re close to the ferries as well as all kinds of Island attractions, so many folks plan to come for a night and end up staying several days when they see all there is to do and see within a short drive of their site. Others love our trails, water views, and wildlife viewing, and they just chill out in the park for a few days. We managers love what we do as we’re campers too!”
About Living Forest Campground
Living Forest Oceanside RV and Campground http://www.campingbc.com/ at Chase River in South Nanaimo offers everything from fully-serviced pull thrus to well-shared tent sites. The 53-acre park is spectacularly situated on a bluff overlooking the Nanaimo River, Nanaimo Harbour, and the Gulf Islands. For area information, visit Go Nanaimo http://www.gonanaimo.com/
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