Greater than 250,000 Members are supporting the native companies opening their doorways to RVers and driving priceless income throughout powerful financial occasions
Harvest Hosts, a membership program that provides RVers entry to distinctive RV tenting choices, introduced at present at the beginning of Nationwide Small Enterprise Month that its Members have spent over $100 million at Host areas to-date, which incorporates practically 5,000 small companies throughout North America, and are anticipated to spend one other $50 million this 12 months. One of many primary pillars of the Harvest Hosts mannequin is the reciprocity between Hosts and Members. In alternate for complimentary in a single day parking supplied by way of an annual membership payment beginning at $99, Members present appreciation for Hosts’ hospitality by supporting their companies – whether or not that’s shopping for contemporary produce from a farm, a bottle of wine from a vineyard, a sweater from an alpaca ranch, tickets to a museum or a spherical of golf. There may be by no means any cost to small companies for being a part of the Harvest Hosts program.
“Small companies are the spine of America, and we’re thrilled to have the ability to help these genuine native operations by driving important income to their backside line. We encourage our members to help the locations they keep and we don’t take a penny, nor cost any charges to the hosts to be part of this system,” says Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts. “Seeing greater than $100 million in income attributed to Harvest Hosts Members is only the start, as we count on greater than $50 million to be spent in 2023 alone as this system grows.”
Hosts in this system are small companies, together with farms, wineries, breweries, distilleries, museums, golf programs, church buildings and extra. Companies like Blue Heron French Cheese Co in Oregon, Summer time Crush Winery & Vineyard in Florida, and Weldon Mills Distillery in North Carolina, depend upon tourism and gross sales or donations to outlive. The rise in guests from Harvest Hosts makes a real backside line distinction, particularly throughout important occasions like sluggish seasons. This system additionally presents some significantly distinctive experiences for vacationers, equivalent to doing a swamp tour, seeing a drive-in film, exploring an ice cave or touring a bison ranch – opening up a variety of journey potential for households, {couples} and solo RVers alike.
Through the years, Harvest Hosts Members have been blissful to help the small companies internet hosting them, on common shopping for $50 value of native items per go to. This interprets to $12,000 – $15,000 of extra income per Host every year on common. Harvest Hosts takes no lower of the Hosts’ spending from the Members, so all of that extra income straight advantages the native companies.
“Since 2020, we’ve had over 3,350 Harvest Hosts friends stick with us on the farm,” says Wendy R. Barton, Advertising Director of Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, GA. “They at all times observe the Harvest Hosts Code of Conduct and our guidelines about when and the place to park. It has been an incredible success for us, we’ve seen this system draw greater than $90,000 in extra income and met nice folks alongside the way in which!”
RVIA tasks that 67 million Individuals plan on taking an RV journey this 12 months, carrying with them lots of shopping for energy. Harvest Hosts’ objective is to get these vacationers off of the primary highways and onto native main streets. Past the income advantages, small companies are discovering immense worth in being a part of the Harvest Hosts community for its advertising potential and human connection. For Hosts in rural areas, it’s tougher for individuals who aren’t native to find them and fewer possible that somebody on the highway would go to by likelihood. Being listed on Harvest Hosts introduces these small companies to a community of over 250,000 members, for completely no value.
“We’re effectively off the crushed path and infrequently obtain drop-in guests. We determined to attempt Harvest Hosts so we may convey folks to the ranch and introduce them to our alpacas,” says Sharon Milligan, Proprietor of Pink Granite Ranch in Livermore, Colorado. “I actually had no concept what to anticipate. We have already got 20 bookings by way of the center of July. We get pleasure from speaking to folks about our ranch and alpacas, and from our critiques, I imagine our friends have loved studying about our way of life as effectively.”
Hosts’ suggestions over time has been overwhelmingly constructive. The potential for elevated earnings and advertising efforts is a large worth and particularly impactful for small companies throughout occasions when tourism and the financial system are down. Along with the income increase, many Hosts additionally share that they most get pleasure from interacting with new folks by way of Harvest Hosts.
