But the 26-year-old chief executive of Redcliffe-based Green RV sells 600 caravans a year to customers who are increasingly aged in their twenties, thirties and forties.

Mr Green said that while grey nomads still accounted for half of people buying caravans, the demographic was changing. With some caravan parks now featuring restaurants, luxury accommodation and fun parks, the old-style caravanning holiday is being transformed.

According to the Caravan Industry Association of Australia, almost two-thirds of caravan holiday makers are aged under 55. A total of 11.6 million caravanning and camping trips were taken by Australians last year, with 30 to 54-year-olds driving the growth.

“The grey nomads are still a big part of the market but we are getting more younger people in their 30s and 40s who went away with their parents on caravan holidays and now want to take their own children,” Mr Green said.

There also was an increasing trend for younger people to hit the road but continue to work.

“We have sold vans to lawyers and IT specialists who do consulting work while they travel,” he said.

Mr Green, whose father Carl founded the company as a second-hand car yard in Gympie 20 years ago, said the industry needed to adapt to a younger market.

Green RV’s top-of-the line caravans almost reach six figures and feature expansive kitchens, wide screen televisions and double beds.

The company will soon launch a new website to cater for younger customers.

“Younger families and couples are highly engaged online and with endless resources and information available, they know exactly what to expect for their money,” he said.

In 2015, the company started manufacturing its own line of caravans in Melbourne under the NextGen brand, with 100 sold in Queensland.

Mr Green said the company now turned over $30 million at dealerships in Queensland and Victoria and was looking to expand this footprint.

There has been an influx of caravan manufacturers into the Queensland market in recent years.

May 28, 2017