There has been increasing interest in the economic value of event tourism activities in regional and rural communities of Australia to help revive local economies. One touted solution is to encourage regional communities to embrace more fully older ‘grey nomads’ as they travel for six months or more around Australia. However, little attention has been paid to older adults who attend regular, short duration caravanning rallies as members of a caravan club. This research is based on a survey of 90 respondents who attended a caravan rally in 2012, and measures the economic contribution of these grey caravanners to a regional area while attending the organized event. Initial findings revealed that the group’s expenditure was found to be greater than previously acknowledged for older travellers of this type. As such, it is argued that this group presents a growing and sustainable revenue source for regional communities who are willing to support these regularly staged rallies. Given the exploratory nature of the initial study, further research is needed in order to obtain a more detailed understanding of the economic contribution of this form of event related tourism activity in the Australian context.
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