Dozens of new campsite spaces are set to open at popular Vancouver Island parks this season, the province said Thursday.

These include 30 new campsites at Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville, a hot spot for families.

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Three parking lots will be turned into campsites, several for RVs, said Jim Gilliland, facilities manager for B.C. Parks.

“We’ve had a number of sites that are underutilized, even in the summer when the place is full,” Gilliland said.

“For years, we thought if we had the money we could make great use of the space. It’s a busy park.”

Gilliland said the first phase of converted spots will be complete and ready for reservations soon.

“There’s a huge demand,” he said. “RVing is increasing every year, especially with the bigger RVs. A lot of our old parks can’t accommodate them.”

Michelle Stilwell, Liberal MLA for Parksville-Qualicum, was among a group touring the park Thursday.

“Rathtrevor Provincial Park is one of the most popular parks on Vancouver Island, with couples, friends and families visiting year after year to camp,” Stilwell said in a statement.

“I’m thrilled we have been able to respond to the growing demand for more campsites, especially here at Rathtrevor.”

B.C. has 10,700 campsites in campgrounds, 10,400 at recreation sites and 2,000 at backcountry sites.

A total of 76 new campsites are planned for the Island, including four at Goldstream Provincial Park near Langford, 22 at Maple Grove Recreational Site near Lake Cowichan, and 20 at Pye Mountain Recreational Site near Sayward.

The new sites are part of a plan, announced in 2016, to improve recreation at provincial parks. The government said it will spend $22.9 million to create 1,900 new campsites, and has overhauled its online reservation system with rolling openings and a crackdown on reselling bookings.

Vancouver Island can expect more campsite expansion projects that target high-demand parks such as Gordon Bay, more sites for Rathtrevor and a new recreation site near Nanaimo, the province said.

George Heyman, the NDP environment critic, said the announcement was more about campaigning than camping.

“The sad part is B.C. parks have born the brunt of government cuts for years. Replacing two-thirds of what you closed is nowhere near enough to repair the damage caused,” said Heyman, adding 3,000 campsites have been closed since 2001.

While the B.C. Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society commended the new campsite plan, the organization also called for increased funding to sustain provincial parks.

They are asking the province to match pre-2000 levels of staffing and funding. This would mean 360 park rangers. In 2016, there were 164. It would also mean increasing core funding to $60 million including inflation, the group said.

“If they can’t say yes to a permanent and significant increase in operational funding for B.C. Parks, then all these announcements about new campsites are just temporary fixes that will cause more trouble for the system down the road,” said Jessie Corey, terrestrial conservation manager.

spetrescu@timescolonist.com