Campland on the Bay, one of Mission Bay’s original lessees, achieved higher occupancy and revenue in 2017 than in any prior year since 2006. Last year, Campland generated $2.8 million in city rent and transient occupancy tax, improving upon the $2.6 million generated for the city in 2016. In 2017, Campland accommodated 121,974 site nights worth of reservations, with one of the highest occupancy rates on record. The average occupancy rate in July 2017 reached 80.3 percent, with virtually no vacancy over the Fourth of July holiday and other busy summer weekends. Campland’s annual visitors include tens of thousands of San Diego families, many of whom book reservations up to two years in advance.
“Campland on the Bay is proud to be an important economic driver for Mission Bay Park and the city of San Diego,” said Jacob Gelfand, Campland’s vice president of operations. “Campland’s growth in occupancy over the past decade illustrates how the demand for waterfront camping and recreation continues to rise. “We’re seeing more and more millennials investing in both new and vintage RVs, campervans, tents and other forms of camping as an affordable, friendly-friendly way to access the laid-back fun and natural beauty that makes Mission Bay the jewel of San Diego and an envy of the world.”
Campland on the Bay first opened in 1969 as one of the first commercial leaseholds in Mission Bay Park. Campers routinely line up before dawn to reserve their favorite campsite up to two years in advance. Campland employs 150 people and attracts not only San Diego residents but also visitors who patronize neighboring businesses during their stay, helping to support the local economy. On April 4, 2017, the City Council voted unanimously to grant Campland on the Bay a three-year lease extension with two, one-year options, which would further extend the lease to November 2022.
“People in the community who have never visited Campland on the Bay may not know the open secret that local San Diego campers hold deep in their hearts,” said Sean Schwab, co-chair of Friends of Campland, a San Diego citizen group of more than 2,500 campers dedicated to preserving Campland on the Bay for future generations.
