Is Marcus Lemonis Perched in the Catbird Seat?
Camping could be the winner of the 2020 travel industry.
As travel industry leaders scramble to salvage their companies, Marcus Lemonis is scrambling to keep Camping World (the love of his life) solvent long enough to reap the rewards of what is likely to be the travel option of choice for many American families, not just in 2020, but well beyond.
Cruising still feels scary
Think about it: Cruising seems too hazardous for most casual travelers, not to mention the fact that there will likely be ports of call unwilling to open back up to the hoards of North Americans bringing their COVID-19 with them. There aren’t many, but at least a handful of Caribbean islands have reported zero cases and are likely to want it to stay that way.
We may not be able to afford flying
Flying looks cheap in the short term, but with airlines deploying fewer jets while allowing fewer passengers on each, fares are destined to increase. I’ve already seen that in play on international flights.
Road trip anyone?
Road trips are emerging as the ideal travel option this summer and at least a portion of those will want to skip the highway hotels and iffy Airbnb rentals in favor of an environment that they can control themselves.
If road trips are hot this season, Camping World stands to win big. Lemonis is betting heavily on that very fact. His first move in early March was to buy $1.7 million in company stock. At the end of the month, he reversed course and pledged $500,000 in stock to help employees weather the storm with him, saying “The associates are what make this Company what it is and while they are not asking for a handout, I will do everything I can to protect their personal and financial well-being.”
Obviously it remains to be seen whether his efforts are enough to fend off the sluggish economy, even as states begin to re-open retail operations and public recreation. In the meantime, Lemonis is busy on Twitter almost every day handing out Camping World gift cards, merch and even free RV’s across the country.
Tell him your needs and you just might win. Be sure to use the #campingworld hashtag.
Read more here:
Airbnb Has a New Enhanced Cleaning Initiative— Is It Enough for You?
What Camping Looks Like in the COVID Era
And talk road-tripping with some of the travel industry’s top bloggers:
This edition of Accomplice has been made available to the public, but subscribers ALWAYS have me watching their backs, not just every once in awhile. #traveltruth #travelsafe