Camping trend goes wild, with room to grow

Effective solutions

However, despite its rapid development over the past few years, the camping industry is still in its infancy, experts said.

The low average transaction value and low repurchase rate are common issues that urgently need effective solutions. The camping industry has a long way to go, said Li Yangjun, a senior official with the China Sporting Goods Federation's camping industry committee.

"However, we believe that with the gradual maturation of the market and support from all levels of government along with standardized management, China's camping industry will continue to develop in a healthy and sustainable direction," Li said.

In November 2022, 14 government organs, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Development and Reform Commission, issued guidelines on promoting the healthy and orderly development of camping tourism and leisure, setting a goal of achieving 3 trillion yuan in the outdoor sports industry by 2025.

In July 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission issued measures on restoring and expanding consumption, which pointed out the need to promote rural homestay service certification, support business entities in developing new formats like camping, outdoor sports and study tours, and expand rural ecological and leisure tourism.

Those moves have provided more policy support for the temporary use of land for activities like camping and other cultural tourism events, experts said.

Liu from the Beijing RV Camping and Self-Drive Tourism Association believes it's important to standardize camping operations, as some destinations have shown a lack of professional management personnel, mismatched prices and services, and limited service options.

In the long run, campsite operation and planning need more cooperation among different organizations, so campers can better enjoy what nature has to offer and camp service providers can get more space for development, Liu said.