BARRIE, ONT. -- The question of what this summer will look and feel like is on the minds of many.
Some people are already modifying their itineraries and showing an interest in purchasing recreational vehicles.
“They’re calling, coming in, purchasing and are excited about the opportunity to give their family and themselves some fun experiences this summer,” said Melissa Stitt, general manager of 401 Auto RV Group in Barrie.
“Families are also looking to get back to their new normal,” she added.
With border restrictions between Canada and the U.S., many travellers are choosing to stay local and invest.
“People are realizing that instead of taking those two weeks off and spending all of their money on that one major trip, they’ll be able to extend the entire summer, whether it be on weekends or a few weeks here or there.”
The Hitch House in Shanty Bay is seeing a similar trend, with an increase in traffic for its motorhomes.
According to its president, Tom Stoate, buying a motor home also allows people to adhere to social distance guidelines.
“That’s your apartment on wheels. It’s your own space you can control everything in it, and I think people like the safety and security of that,” Stoate said.
Heidi’s Campground in Hawkestone is a popular area for locals and tourists.
Eric Buechin is one of the co-owners and says it’s only accepting travellers who have seasonal contracts at the moment.
However, he’s noticing the new trend in people wanting to explore the possibility of buying an RV or motorhome.
“Lots of phone calls, lots of emails, lots of texts. There is a lot of interest. People want to get out, and they want to start doing things. I think there is going to be a lot of shift toward RV-ing, rather than taking a flight somewhere,” Buechin said.
While it’s not clear when overnight camping might be permitted, it seems people are looking for something similar that would allow them to get away without having to travel too far.
