Five improvements we made to better your camping experience in 2023
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We know people in B.C. love to camp, and we hear a lot of feedback about what you like and what improvements you’d like to see. In 2023, we made a number of improvements to camping in BC Parks based on this feedback, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to summarize the changes made this year.
- Added 8 new frontcountry campgrounds to the reservation system
What we heard: demand for camping can make securing a campsite challenging.
What we did: We added 8 new frontcountry campgrounds to the reservation system, 3 backcountry reservable offerings and added additional reservable campsites to another 5 campgrounds.
The impact: continuing to add more reservable inventory helps customers find more opportunities to camp across the province.
- Introduced a new tool called Notify Me
What we heard: It’s challenging to secure a reservation at your favourite campgrounds.
What we did: Introduced a new tool called Notify Me, which allows users to set notification alerts for when a campsite becomes available.
The impact: Notify me has helped many campers find last minute camping opportunities at their favourite sites. Over 30,000 account holders signed up for notifications in 2023.
3. Changed the booking window from 2 months to 4 months
What we heard: People want more time to plan camping trips.
What we did: The rolling window to book camping changed from 2 months to 4 months.
The impact: More time to plan ahead.
4. Added an icon legend to the campground maps on camping.bcparks.ca
What we heard: Booking campsites can be confusing in part due to the lack of clarity of amenities on the campground maps.
What we did: Added an icon legend to the campground maps.
The impact: The legend helps inform campers of the amenities available in the campgrounds they’re looking at so they can make better decisions during their reservation process.
5.Added a star icon for first come first served sites
What we heard: People want to see if any sites in their favourite campgrounds have first come, first served opportunities.
What we did: Added a star icon for first come, first served opportunities on the maps.
The impact: At some parks, customers are able to see which sites are reservable vs first come, first served, which helps better understand what options they may have that best suit their needs.
Demand for camping continues to grow year over year in B.C. 2023 total reservations increased by 15% in comparison to 2022. By the end of September, a total of 366,831 reservations were made in comparison to 317,647 in 2022. As demand for camping grows, we will continue to make improvements and seek your feedback for how we can do better. Thank you for making 2023 a great year, and we hope you can make more camping memories in 2024.
