-- On-Demand Campervan and Caravan Marketplace Now Available to Kiwis Seeking Unique Travel Experiences
Outdoorsy ( https://www.outdoorsy.com/ ), the world's fastest-growing on-demand campervan and caravan marketplace, today announces its expansion to the Asia-Pacific region following a highly successful launch in Canada late last year. The on-demand marketplace hosts the largest bookable inventory of campervans and caravans worldwide, and includes other outdoor gear and accessories to power outdoor travel experiences. Outdoorsy is now live in Australia and New Zealand, granting travelers access, choice and opportunity to safely enjoy unique outdoor experiences while empowering campervan and caravan owners to realize life-changing financial benefits.
"With Australia and New Zealand being synonymous with outdoor adventures, road trips and beautiful landscapes, this region is the next natural step in our robust global growth plan as we build the world's third lodging category," said Jeff Cavins, co-founder and CEO of Outdoorsy. "In addition to our partnerships with large and well-established global providers, Jucy and SpaceShips, we have hundreds of peer-to-peer campervans and caravans listed as well. We also have many Australian and New Zealand customers using our platform in the U.S. and Canada and urged us to bring the marketplace to their homeland. This growth is yet another proof point that we are tapping into a cross-cultural consumer travel trend focused on the desire for unique experiences over material possessions."
The Experience Economy is set to skyrocket this year with recent studies showing that Americans now prioritize experiences over products or things. The newly announced expansion also more broadly opens the thriving sharing economy to campervan and caravan owners in these markets as Outdoorsy continues toward its goal of mobilizing more than 18 million idle recreational vehicles around the globe. In the United States alone, more than 40 million consumers try to rent a recreational vehicle each year with no luck.
Having booked more than 300,000 travel days over the last year alone, while generating more than $130 million USD through the platform, the company's future expansion plans include Germany, France, Italy and the U.K. Other primary reasons for the company's rapid growth include the following:
-- One-of-a-Kind Outdoor Experiences: Millennials prefer the freedom and
variety of the campervan and caravan lifestyle and increasingly want to
travel where home-sharing sites and hotel can't go, such as a remote
backroad near picturesque waterfalls or perched high atop a cliff
overlooking the Pacific. In fact, 40 percent of Outdoorsy's customer
base is under the age of 40.
-- Connections Bring Happiness: Outdoor experiences allow for
disconnections from technology to reconnect with family, friends and
self. Sharing and collecting experiences with others have a deeper
psychological link to long-term intrinsic happiness than buying and
collecting material possessions, according to a recent study ( http://news.cornell.edu/.../study-gratitude-experiences-brings-surprising-benefits )
by Cornell University. In addition, another recent McKinsey and Company report ( https://www.mckinsey.com/.../cashing-in-on-the-us-experience-economy )
shows that nearly half of Millennials said they would sell their clothes
or furniture to travel more.
-- Peace-of-Mind: Outdoorsy provides campervan and caravan owners and
renters several safeguards that are included to ensure they are
protected. This includes everything from instant insurance, to roadside
services to GPS trackers.
-- Finding the Ultimate Social Currency: Social media ( https://www.mckinsey.com/.../getting-a-sharper-picture-of-social-medias-influence )
platforms are now the ultimate currency for millions around the globe,
especially millennials, as the quest for 'Likes' and 'Views' requires a
constant stream of new shareable, unique and engaging content.
The Asia-Pacific region will now have immediate access to Outdoorsy's investments in technology, safety and its fast growing, global community of users. Powered by a state-of-the-art technology platform that has enabled both the world's largest campervan and caravan enterprises and at-home operators to list and rent their vehicles safely and legally, Outdoorsy offers the first-ever commercial insurance for peer-to-peer rentals in North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Outdoorsy also recently announced at the beginning of the year that it raised $25 million in Series B funding led by Aviva Ventures and Altos Ventures. The Series B funding is helping to expand the company's sales and marketing efforts, broaden its geographic footprint and grow its engineering and product teams. ---
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