How to be RV Friendly

The Alaska Highway generates about $350 million dollars from tourism every year.  About half of those travelers are RV'ers.  According to a recent study targeting this lucrative demographic about their experience along the famous route, there are some things Northern communities could do better.

The profile of an RV'er is what you might expect: retirees, over the age of 55 with good incomes.  According to April Moi of the Northern Rockies Alaska Tourism Association, RV'ers consider their way of travel, a lifestyle.

"It's very culture driven, and they enjoy the comradery the networking the friendship, so one of the other high points, is the fact that word of mouth is certainly the way the message is passed on."

Most tourists tend to travel only one way on the Alaska Highway; traveling the Stuart Cassiar highway in the opposite direction.  For tourism based business, that means there is only one chance to attract this lucrative market - and they have very specific needs.

They are looking for better signage about where to access services, pull-outs as well as better general highway signage.  Also, RV'ers are very technologically savvy, and want to be able to access the internet when they stop.  Because RV'ing is a lifestyle choice, high gas prices do not deter RV'ers from travel.

April Moi wants to see the communities along the Alaska Highway working together to become more RV friendly:

"It's very important to remember, that there are plenty of other places in the world to explore, so if we're not meeting the needs of these folks, then they're certainly going to go on an adventure elsewhere."

Tammy Banfield, CJDC TV News, Dawson Creek