Chongqing- Out of the desire for fresh air and beautiful nature scenes, the popularity of camping has grown into a booming recreational tourism industry. As the May Day holiday approaches, camping remains the first choice of outings for many people. In addition to a large number of booking of camping bases, the camping market has also seen many new changes in aspects of camping equipment and camping location for the coming May Day holiday.
Since last year, camping has been trending and frequently appeared on major social media channels. According to a recent travel trend report issued by Tongcheng Travel (one of the most popular travel sites in China), searches for camping rose by 68% after the boom of the Qingming Festival in April. Camping is still one of the top choices in this year's spring travel market.
Fully-booked campgrounds two weeks in advance
This year, the reservation for camping during the May Day holiday is so popular that the rooms of some camping bases in Chongqing have been sold out two weeks in advance.
A camping planner is setting up a tent at Jinlingdi Mountain Cross-country Park in Jindao Gorges, Beibei District. (iChongqing/ Yue Xingchen)
"We have 30 tent-style hotel rooms in our base, which were already fully booked," said the person in charge of the Tianfu camping site. People who did not reserve a room can also set up their own tent at the base, but that would be another "speed competition."
The free camping bases located in the park are also popular. For example, the Tieshangping Grassland Star Camping Base is available for citizens and tourists to set up their tents, and public restrooms are provided on the base. According to the base staff, the number of people who come to consult the tent rental and sale is high.
Tourists were camping at Jinlingdi Mountain Cross-country Park in Jindao Gorges, Beibei District. (iChongqing/ Yue Xingchen)
Upgrade in camping equipment consumption
The popularity of camping also led to the hot sales of related products and equipment. Data from Tmall shows that the domestic camping equipment retail market is growing at an annual rate of nearly 40%, with the core consumer population concentrated in the new white-collar and urban family population aged between 25 and 45. The growth rate for glamping-related supplies is even higher, more than two times that of traditional camping supplies.
In order to have a more comfortable time outdoors, the purchase of equipment is essential. Consequently, camping equipment shows a trend of consumption upgrading this year. For Mrs. Hu, glamping is building a home outdoors. She has kept adding equipment for comfort since 2019. For the coming holiday, she also has bought some new gear.
Even if it is not glamping, ordinary camping also has a lot of basic needs. From tent to stove and camping light, Mr. Kong also started upgrading camping equipment to meet his family's needs.
The well-appointed camping base at Jinlingdi Mountain Cross-country Park in Jindao Gorges, Beibei District. (iChongqing/ Yue Xingchen)
Camping activities in shopping malls
The locations of camping also see more possibilities. Since April, several shopping malls in Chongqing, including the Oval, the Ring, and the Shin Kong Place, successfully held camping activities, which offered Chongqing citizens a new choice of spending the vocation.
For example, the camping activity held in the Oval attracted nearly 50,000 people during the 3-day Qingming holiday. Similar events will be held in many other shopping malls in Chongqing next month. Citizens will be exposed to and experience this form of leisure more frequently.
Compared to traditional camping sites, shopping malls in the city better meet people’s demand for micro-vacations close to the city. At the same time, shopping activities will be held simultaneously during the event to promote consumption.
Opportunities come with challenges
As camping becomes more popular, problems such as inadequate camping facilities and uneven development have followed.
According to Mou Hong, professor of Tourism management at the Chongqing University of Technology and expert at China Tourism Academy, "The camping market has good opportunities, but it also has a lot to improve."
Mou made four suggestions. First, there should be more thematic camping sites, rather than just making distinctions between different consumption levels. Second, it would be more attractive when the living environment for camping is close to nature and has local culture and stories. Third, the camping base facilities need to be continuously improved to suit young consumers' needs better. Finally, the camping industry needs to launch a unified standard for health conditions, safety, service, etc., to improve the visitor experience and help the industry develop sustainably.
(Mei Xuhang, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)