Passport America and its ilk
What are folks' experience with PA and other discount clubs/plans? I'm considering a trip along the Oregon and Washington coast in September. There seem to be a lot of PA-affiliated campgrounds in ...
Forum Discussion
The numbers and using your noodle case for something other than a hat rack:
During the last 3 years in Michigan there has been 4 PPA CG's drop/cancel out of the PPA system but 8 more new CG's have joined. 2 of the cancelled out CG's that I know of were because the owners had sold and retired and the new owners did not continue with PPA. PPA CG's in Michigan is quite stable for many years.
In Florida during the last 2-1/2 years there has been 14 CG's drop out of PPA but 35 new CG's have joined. 3 that I know of dropped out because the CG was sold and the land was going to become part of a new housing or commercial development. Don't know for sure why the other 11 dropped out.
PPA continues to grow year after year and has since it's beginning so many years ago. The newly added CG's have continued to outnumber the dropouts and that means GROWTH!
I totally disagree with westernrvparkowner with his comment and bashing PPA as our family still owns 6 CG's in the S.E. USA which I will not name and they all are and have been PPA for years now and have said it's a money maker for them. PPA revenue contributes very well to the yearly fixed costs of the CG and the CG's bottom line! Why? Blocking out the 3 very high season full occupancy months and offering PPA discounts the other 9 months works very well! Fixed costs of a CG go on even when the CG is closed during the winter months up north or the summer months down south. A CG's property taxes, insurance, utilities, loan payments, etc, so many other costs do not disappear when the CG is closed or during the low occupancy months! Even the costs associated with having had employees during the year has costs associated as any accountant knows so well.
As a successful very long time business owner now retired, I can assure you this is factual and I have yet to hear any accountant or intelligent business owner claim different! Very few geographical locations are remotely exempt from high and low tourist or RV seasonal effects. I can assure you that many including myself will never grace the CG of an owner with the thinking displayed by westernrvparkowner! He will in time feel the negative effects on his bottom line bigtime as more and more CG's near him offer PPA discounts and he doesn't! Shallow thinking!
Simply put, the fixed costs continue all 12 months and getting 50% of the base rate from PPA members alone before options is so much better getting than no money at all from a site!
Using one's head, nearly all CG's offer weekly and/or monthly/seasonal reduced rates of about 25% to even 50%+ for their sites even during the peak months and the same sites will bring in next to nothing on average during the off peak months as many are left vacant. So, what does weekly or monthly or seasonal stay reduced rates VS PPA rates really mean to the CG's bottom line? 6 of one half a dozen of the other except at a 50% base discount PPA rate, there's more money coming in all year around.
During the last 3 years in Michigan there has been 4 PPA CG's drop/cancel out of the PPA system but 8 more new CG's have joined. 2 of the cancelled out CG's that I know of were because the owners had sold and retired and the new owners did not continue with PPA. PPA CG's in Michigan is quite stable for many years.
In Florida during the last 2-1/2 years there has been 14 CG's drop out of PPA but 35 new CG's have joined. 3 that I know of dropped out because the CG was sold and the land was going to become part of a new housing or commercial development. Don't know for sure why the other 11 dropped out.
PPA continues to grow year after year and has since it's beginning so many years ago. The newly added CG's have continued to outnumber the dropouts and that means GROWTH!
I totally disagree with westernrvparkowner with his comment and bashing PPA as our family still owns 6 CG's in the S.E. USA which I will not name and they all are and have been PPA for years now and have said it's a money maker for them. PPA revenue contributes very well to the yearly fixed costs of the CG and the CG's bottom line! Why? Blocking out the 3 very high season full occupancy months and offering PPA discounts the other 9 months works very well! Fixed costs of a CG go on even when the CG is closed during the winter months up north or the summer months down south. A CG's property taxes, insurance, utilities, loan payments, etc, so many other costs do not disappear when the CG is closed or during the low occupancy months! Even the costs associated with having had employees during the year has costs associated as any accountant knows so well.
As a successful very long time business owner now retired, I can assure you this is factual and I have yet to hear any accountant or intelligent business owner claim different! Very few geographical locations are remotely exempt from high and low tourist or RV seasonal effects. I can assure you that many including myself will never grace the CG of an owner with the thinking displayed by westernrvparkowner! He will in time feel the negative effects on his bottom line bigtime as more and more CG's near him offer PPA discounts and he doesn't! Shallow thinking!
Simply put, the fixed costs continue all 12 months and getting 50% of the base rate from PPA members alone before options is so much better getting than no money at all from a site!
Using one's head, nearly all CG's offer weekly and/or monthly/seasonal reduced rates of about 25% to even 50%+ for their sites even during the peak months and the same sites will bring in next to nothing on average during the off peak months as many are left vacant. So, what does weekly or monthly or seasonal stay reduced rates VS PPA rates really mean to the CG's bottom line? 6 of one half a dozen of the other except at a 50% base discount PPA rate, there's more money coming in all year around.
