What Memorial Day Revealed About Camping in 2026

In this special solo edition of Outdoor Hospitality Weekly, Alex reflects on Memorial Day weekend and what the first major holiday of the camping season revealed about the state of outdoor hospitality. Drawing from new AAA travel data, KOA research, and firsthand operational experience, he breaks down the mixed signals campground operators are seeing across the industry—from softer RV sales and shorter booking windows to strong demand for local, experience-driven travel. The episode explores how camping behavior is evolving, why occupancy alone no longer tells the full story, and how parks are adapting through long-term stays, hyper-local marketing, and experience-focused hospitality strategies. ---- Links AAA Memorial Day Travel Data https://newsroom.aaa.com/2026/05/45-m... KOA’s O’Rourke Advises RV Industry About Participation Gap https://woodallscm.com/koas-orourke-w... Substack https://ohweekly.substack.com/ Follow us on social media! Matt Whitermore: /   / matthewwhitermore   Alex Burkett: /   / alexburkett   Listen to this podcast episode / #memorialday #aaa #outdoorhospitality