Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I N O. X I V H O S P I TA L I T Y / T O U R I S M T hree weeks into a delayed summer season that should have started on Mother's Day weekend, Sandy Pines Campground in Kennebunkport is uncharacteristically quiet on a June Friday morning. "is was going to be a banner year," says Tim Harrington, a partner in the nine-hotel Kennebunkport Resort Collection who owns and runs the 60-acre campsite with his wife, Deb Harrington. ey paid $3 million for the former Salty Acres Campground four years ago and another $5 million on renovations. Today's 60-acre site is a world apart from its former rustic self with the addition of "glamping" tents, cottages and quirky quarters marketed as unique retreats. ey include two covered Conestoga wagons, a vintage Airstream Zephyr camper and a domed plastic bubble called "Stargazer" that's new this year, set to go up later that day in a sec- tion the owners call "Glampland." Two more vintage campers and a Volkswagen bus will be rolled out this summer, on grounds that can accommodate up to 800 visitors at full capacity, including spots for tents and RVs. "Each year we add more things," says Tim Harrington, who describes his business outlook as somewhere between terrified to cautiously optimistic. "e short-term is scary for this season, but if you can make it, the long term is fantastic, because people have bought campers and recreational vehicles, so the 10-year outlook for camping is boom, boom. Once people get out here, and get into these gorgeous places, they want to come back. We do an amazing amount of repeat business, and we're the long- term beneficiaries of that for sure." e Harringtons are among a grow- ing crop of entrepreneurs in Maine's $3 billion outdoor recreation industry, which is poised for further growth as COVID- 19 sparks surging interest in camping, fishing and other healthy outdoor activi- ties with natural social-distancing. Another is Rheanna Sinnett, a U.S. Navy reservist who rents out two floating houseboats on Rangeley Lake through a business she started in 2018 called Just Add Water Floating Camps. She rents out a restored 1968 underbird Drift-R-Cruz called Nomad, and the custom-built Roam she added in July 2019. e pandemic also meant a later start to her third season, after getting back from being stationed in Naples, Italy, during the lockdown there, but she's optimistic as bookings come in with a lot of Mainers renting in June. "Without wanting to gloat, I kind of have a COVID-resistant business, assuming people are able to travel here," she says. Other industry newcomers are active in fly fishing and camping-related activi- ties as they cope with the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic and make plans for the longer term. 'Culture of innovation' e reopening of national parks and other parts of the country are sparking increased enthusiasm in healthy outdoor activities and summer road trips, as reflected in robust consumer spending. Data released by the NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research company, show that camping equipment sales reached a turning point in April and soared in the last two weeks of the month. In the two weeks ending May 2, sales for camping basics shot up, led by a 119% jump in camp sets and a 30% rise in recreation tents. e same market research firm found that adult leisure bike sales jumped by 121% in March over last year, as well as sales increases for U.S. travel books, roadmaps and outdoor toys. Why are so many people, includ- ing first-time campers, going gaga for the great outdoors? Experts point to a combination of factors from pent-up demand after months of coronavirus shutdowns and the work-from-home lifestyle, historically low gas prices and concerns about getting on an airplane. "ere's a sweeping trend at play here," said Matt Powell, NPD's sports industry advisor, in a May 28 press release. "From the backyard to the campground, consumers are looking at refuge in the outdoors." Jenny Kordick, executive director of the nonprofit alliance Maine Outdoor Brands, says the organization has grown The outsiders Startups in Maine's $3B outdoor recreation industry are long-term bullish B y r e n e e C o r d e s Back40 and the Trail Van have launched a curated collection of gear and backyard activities for kids who would otherwise miss out on real summer camp this year. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y T R A I L VA N P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y J U S T A D D WAT E R F L O AT I N G C A M P S P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 14 F O C U S Tim Harrington in a glamp tent at the Sandy Pines Campground in Kennebunkport. Rheanna Sinnett of Just Add Water Floating Camps driving Nomad.

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