Dave Drum recognized that weary travelers needed an affordable alternative in accommodations when driving long distances. Drum constructed a campground on his land and offered hot showers, a place to buy necessities, clean washrooms and a place to pitch a tent for $1.75 per night. By the next summer, Drum had taken on two partners and began to create a system of campgrounds for the traveling public throughout North America. Together, the partners created the KOA logo and began to sell franchises. By 1982, there were 900 KOA kampgrounds throughout North America.
KOA maintains its high standards by asking campers what they think and providing campers what they need. The company conducts an annual survey of camper satisfaction. Franchise owners must submit to regular inspections and maintain exacting standards. A 600-point annual inspection assures campgrounds maintain a high level of quality. KOA campgrounds must be consistently clean, safe, fun and affordable. Today's KOA campgrounds have clean rest rooms, individual hot showers, a convenience store and coin-operated laundry facilities on site. Many also have pools, playgrounds and indoor playrooms for rainy days.
KOA began by offering camping facilities to tenters. KOA's appeared at regular intervals along the newly constructed system of interstate highways. Dave Drum was succeeded by Darrell R. Booth in 1975 and then by Hong Kong businessman Oscar l. Tang in 1980. Tang listened to his franchisees who had founded the KOA Kampground Owners Association early in 1980, and gave them a say in how the company was run.
To maintain quality in KOA campgrounds, Tang privatized KOA in the early 1980s. No longer accountable to shareholders who insisted on expansion at the risk of compromising standards, Tang culled 200 campgrounds that failed to meet the high KOA standards of operation. The baby boomers who had camped KOA as teenagers returned with their young children for a familiar, quality camping experience.
KOA had expanded its franchise network into Canada as early as 1970 and had 45 Canadian Kampgrounds by 1993. The growing Japanese camping trend lured KOA to Japan in 1993. KOA established kampgrounds in the Mexican tourist destinations of Alcupulco in 1996 and Puerto Vallarta and Tecate in 1998.
In 1998, KOA adapted once more to the demands of its customers by expanding its services to accommodate the electrical, water and sewage needs of recreational vehicles and introducing Kamping Kottages and Kabins to customers without tents or RVs. RV and boat storage was also provided in 1998 allowing campers to store their camping gear in one location year round.
