This national campaign is inspiring Australians to travel again

What started as a simple caravan and camping holiday has turned into a $1 million opportunity for one Yeppoon family and a clear win for our industry.

The 2025/26 Road to a Million (RTAM) campaign has proven that the right incentive and messaging can do more than capture attention – it can directly influence travel behaviour.

In fact, 32 per cent of RTAM entrants said the recently completed campaign directly influenced their decision to book a caravan holiday park stay, reinforcing the growing role of collaborative, nationally coordinated marketing in driving occupancy to record highs over the 2025/26 summer.

A life-changing chance

The campaign is built on a simple but compelling hook – every night stayed at a participating caravan holiday park earns travellers an entry into the draw to play for $1 million.

When Yeppoon’s Monica Heaslip received the email confirming she was the primary winner of the consumer-facing competition, she didn’t quite believe it.

“I honestly had to read it a few times because I was so shocked,” she said. “I texted my husband straight away and he couldn’t believe it either.”

Monica now heads to the Million Dollar Draw at Ingenia Holidays Kinka Beach in mid-April, where she will play for $1 million – and a guaranteed $5,000 prize.

Delivering measurable industry impact

Beyond the headline prize, RTAM is delivering tangible results for the caravanning and camping sector.

The 2025/26 campaign generated more than 429,000 booked nights across 1,297 participating parks nationwide, creating an estimated $34–37 million in accommodation value.

Through national marketing exposure, including a hero activation with the Seven Network’s Sunrise program, the campaign reached 4.3 million Australians, significantly amplifying awareness of the sector.

“At a time when cost-of-living pressures and geopolitical tension are influencing travel decisions, the campaign helped position caravanning and camping as one of Australia’s most accessible, affordable and flexible holiday options,” said Keelan Howard, General Manager of Marketing at Caravan Industry Association of Australia.

“Through entry incentives linked to the competition, RTAM not only encourages Australians to travel, but to go further – to see that next town or stop at the next landmark.”

Shifting consumer behaviour

Post-campaign data highlights the depth of RTAM’s influence on traveller behaviour:

  • 32% of surveyed entrants said the campaign directly influenced their booking in some form
  • 24% booked additional nights
  • 65% said camping was brought ‘front of mind’
  • 36% considered a trip they otherwise wouldn’t have taken

According to Howard, these results point to a broader shift in perception.

“Camping is no longer seen as a compromise, it’s being viewed as ‘affordable freedom’, delivering flexibility, connection to nature, and meaningful time with family and friends,” he said.

“Importantly, these figures reinforce that demand for travel remains strong.”

What this means for operators

For caravan holiday park operators, the implications appear to be clear – targeted national campaigns like RTAM are not just building awareness, they are actively shaping traveller behaviour.

This is evident in the December 2025 to February 2026 caravan holiday park occupancy figures collated by Caravan Industry Association of Australia, which show national occupancy rates reached all-time monthly highs across all accommodation types – cabins, powered sites and unpowered sites.

“The ability to influence one in three travellers at the point of decision highlights the commercial value of campaigns that combine strong consumer incentives with broad media reach,” Howard added.

“RTAM demonstrates that when the industry works collectively, it can unlock added demand, encourage Australians to travel further and convert intention into bookings.

“In a market increasingly defined by value, flexibility and experience, caravanning and camping is not just keeping pace – it is setting the agenda for flexible, affordable travel.”

LEARN MORE about Road to a Million.

A special thanks to the following state associations supporting the Road to a Million campaign: Caravan & Camping Industry Association NSW, Caravan Parks Association of Queensland Ltd (CPAQ), Caravan Industry Association Western Australia, SA Parks, Caravanning Tasmania and Caravanning NT.