PRESS RELEASE
Nearly 35,000 visitors at the Camping & Caravan Jaarbeurs
Lots of enthusiasm at first post-pandemic camping fair
Utrecht, 13 October 2021 - On Sunday afternoon, 9 October, 5 pm, the final signal sounded from the van de Kampeer & Caravan Jaarbeurs, the first major public event after the outbreak of the corona pandemic in Utrecht. Nearly thirty-five thousand visitors attended Holland's premier camping event, substantially more than the organisers themselves expected: "After a worldwide pandemic, it is impossible to estimate whether people will take the step to visit a large national event again," fair manager Rachel Jankowsky says. "But the number of tickets sold and the positive response from our exhibitors exceeded all our expectations."
"Camping is booming," she continues. "Corona also contributed to that, because it was really the only way to go on holiday. We now see the popularity of camping reflected in the number of tickets sold: over 38 thousand. Of course, it was difficult beforehand to estimate how many people would already visit the fair after the pandemic. We did not expect this huge rush," Jankowsky said .
Leo Diepemaat, chairman of the sector association Camping and Caravan Industry was positively surprised by the crowds at the fair: "Great to see that we were able to greet so many new campers at the fair. Too bad a number of brands were missing, due to supply problems caused by the corona pandemic and the huge demand for camping equipment. But I am proud that we were able to show the full breadth of camping at this successful fair, including promising innovations. From tents and rooftop tents to folding trailers, from caravans and motorhomes to awnings and accessories."
Patrick van der Burgh, responsible for the Knaus, Tabbert and Weinsberg brands, also concluded the fair positively: "At our stand, I did not notice that it was less busy than in 2019. I am happy that we were able to put on another camping fair with cheerful but, above all, serious visitors. It is clear to me that the caravan has been rediscovered and that our gas-free concept - the 100 per cent electric caravan - is catching on. Together with our dealers, we are very pleased with the results."
Maarten de Roos of Easy Caravaning looks back with satisfaction: "We have been extremely busy. We are enormously surprised by the still growing interest in our Holtkamper tent trailers and TakeOff crossover concept. The large number of first-time campers who came to orientate themselves was striking. And it didn't just stop at orientation: commercially the fair was a great success, with our brands selling even more than at the three-day-long fair in Düsseldorf, which attracts significantly more visitors."
The new date for next year's fair has also been announced: 5 to 9 October 2022. More information www.kampeerencaravanjaarbeurs.nl/en
