The camping inflection point has arrived or is it waiting for the momentum

In addition to hardware necessary for camping such as tents, tables and chairs, there is a growing variety of products that enhance the quality and experience of camping. As long as the items are related to life, they are being "campingized". Many companies that were not related to camping have also found business opportunities and entered the camping industry across the border.

In addition to hardware necessary for camping such as tents, tables and chairs, there is a growing variety of products that enhance the quality and experience of camping. As long as the items are related to life, they are being "campingized". Many companies that were not related to camping have also found business opportunities and entered the camping industry across the border.

When it comes to the newest and most fashionable lifestyle in recent years, camping definitely counts as one of the representatives. Whether it is an outdoor site off the beaten track or a crowded urban space, a tent has not only become a new direction for the people's daily life entertainment, but also given rise to new scenes of consumption, new business models, new industries, and become a beautiful scenery of development around the world.

Many people call 2021 "the first year of camping", because from this year onwards, there has been a significant increase in the number of city tours and suburban tours, leading to the explosive growth of camping. A lot of capital began to focus on the camping sector, and the constant exposure of social media also accelerated camping into people's lives.

After several years of rapid growth, is camping still hot today? Who is still playing camping? What new trends have emerged in the industry? How to sustain healthy development?

Is camping still hot?

It is undeniable that the domestic camping "out of the loop" in the past few years does have a certain degree of serendipity, the new crown epidemic accelerated the penetration and development of camping, which is a commonly shared view in the industry. However, since this year, with the optimization of the domestic epidemic prevention and control policy adjustment, domestic and foreign tourism gradually recovered, the main focus of comfortable and cozy, short distance convenient camping by the diversion, there is news that the camping business ushered in a "tide of closure". Camping industry can continue to develop healthily?

The reporter learned in an interview, camping practitioners are generally optimistic about the development of the industry for three reasons: first, the country strongly supports the development of camping in policy, the introduction of a lot of planning advice; second, the lifestyle created by camping to meet the people's aspirations for a better life, the continuous beauty of the environment also provides a rich venue for camping; once again, the camping industry chain is long, with tourism, sports, culture, recreation, education and training, etc, culture, recreation, education and training industries, forming a good industrial ecology, promoting consumer upgrading and economic development.

"From the situation around the world, the camping segment is in a steady rise." Liu Xiaolong, secretary general of Beijing RV Camping Self-driving Tourism Association, judged. According to incomplete statistics, in 2021, there will be just over 30 camping campsites in Beijing, reaching over 100 in 2022 and increasing to over 400 in 2023. There are large and small scale, some investing tens of millions of yuan, and some investing hundreds of thousands of yuan, with the participation of central enterprises, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises.

The two sets of data also reflect the development trend of the industry very well. The 2022-2023 China Camping Industry Research and Benchmark Enterprise Analysis Report shows that the core market size of China's camping economy reached 113.47 billion yuan in 2022, up 51.8% year-on-year. The core market size of China's camping economy is expected to rise to 248.32 billion yuan in 2025, which will drive the market size to 1,404.28 billion yuan. Skywatch data shows that up to now, China has more than 133,000 camping-related enterprises, with an average growth rate of 33% from 2020 to 2022, and nearly 16,000 new camping-related enterprises since 2023, up 21.1% year-on-year.

Big Hot Wilderness is a domestic campground brand that was established less than 3 years ago, but has quickly grown into the head of the industry. Zhu Xian, the founder of the brand, is a camping player, and he admits that it was purely by chance that he got into the business from the "pit" to the "business". They first bought some simple camping equipment, stopping to rest at scenic places along the way, the result was unstoppable, the more things bought, but also the more expensive to buy. In this process, he was keenly aware of the business opportunity: Europe and the United States and other developed countries have been more mature camping, sophisticated camping and "moving" camping is very common. In contrast, domestic camping is still in its infancy, and the market prospect is very broad.

So, Zhu Xian had the idea of starting his own business. After several investigations, he and a few friends founded the brand Big Hot Wilderness, positioned as an outdoor camping lifestyle brand service provider. The company received two consecutive rounds of 10 million angel funding in 2021 and now has more than 70 campsites across the country, both self-camps and affiliated and brand-authorized campsites. Zhu Xian believes that in the next 5 to 10 years, camping will be as popular as picnics in the countryside.

Regarding the shrinkage of the camping industry since this year, Zhu Xian and Liu Xiaolong both said that this is a normal market behavior. To survive the fierce competition in the market, companies must accelerate the pace of development, improve the quality of service, create more fresh, interesting and fashionable products and consumer scenarios, and constantly meet the needs of consumers.

What are the new trends

"This panda tent is really both good-looking and practical, with a black and white color scheme, two eyes are two screens, and two cute ears on the head, and two minutes of electric inflation for a quick stay." At the 2023 Beijing International Camping Exhibition held recently, a variety of camping equipment attracted the general public to visit and experience. Liu Bing, the designer of the Panda tent and general manager of Beijing MoBox Technology Co., Ltd. told reporters that he hopes to bring some new ideas and vitality to the camping industry through his design, and enhance the brand image and operational capacity of camping enterprises through good products.

"How much is this roof tent? Is it easy to install? Is it sturdy?" Liu Bin from Fangshan was asking about a tent pitched on top of a commercial vehicle at the booth of outdoor equipment brand Qiu Ye Di.

"What kind of car is your family? We have more than 10 models for different cars, basically covering all sizes of off-road, pickup and business models, and it is easy to disassemble and install, which can be done in a few minutes. The material of the tent is moisture-proof, windproof and rainproof, so you can rest inside without worrying about outdoor weather changes." The staff explained.

Liu Bin said, he and his wife just retired, want to take advantage of good health to a long-distance self-drive camping trip, to play wherever you go, how long you want to play. After considering for some time, they felt that a roof-top tent would best meet their practical needs, save a lot of money on accommodation and, most importantly, bring a different travel experience.

Zhao Chengwen, general manager of the Beijing International Camping Exhibition Organizing Committee, said that with the rapid development of the camping industry in the past few years, the market has become more segmented and many consumers will personalize their camping style. Those who are busy at work prefer city parks or suburban camping, while those who have more time prefer to bring a mobile "home" and solve their own food, accommodation and transportation, so roof tents and RVs are more in line with their needs.

This reporter noticed at the exhibition that in addition to tents, tables and chairs, which are necessary hardware for camping, some products to enhance the quality and experience of camping are becoming more and more abundant. As long as the items are related to life, they are being "campingized". Many companies not originally related to camping have also found business opportunities and entered the camping industry across borders. These years the popular "moving" camping is actually a variety of equipment used in the home to bring camping, the market volume is undoubtedly huge.

How to avoid the heat in the summer? Zhejiang, a production of industrial chiller companies this year launched a variety of camping-specific chillers, the main focus of lightweight and convenient, can be achieved where to go to blow, and the appearance of fashion, and camping wind "very match". Cold winter how to avoid the cold? Inner Mongolia, a manufacturer of heaters also tailor-made caravans and tents with heating equipment, even in the cold winter, but also to protect the car and tent temperature. In outdoor camping, electricity is a big problem, many businesses have launched multi-functional high-power mobile power for this purpose, and some car manufacturers also use the reverse charging, lighting and projection of new energy vehicles as a selling point to attract consumers.

"Young people are the main force of camping consumption, they are not only concerned about complete equipment, but also the pursuit of lightweight. Portable fans, juicing cups, rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth headphones, travel cases become the best companion in camping for young people." Chen Ying, vice president of Takeo APP, told reporters that in Takeo APP, camping-related equipment sales in April 2023 increased by 60%, the canopy, camping car, outdoor folding chairs, stoves recently became the four major camping "magic" for young people. The enthusiasm of young people for camping also extends to more new ways to play, in the community, "camping + cooking tea around the stove", "camping + flower viewing", "camping + picnic" and so on have become the recent Young people are keen on the new outdoor experience.

How to regulate the development

"It's good to go camping! You can look at the scenery all the way, see the forest waterfalls, sunset and sunset, and if you are lucky, you can also encounter rainbows and tumbling clouds after the rain!" Veteran camping enthusiast Sun Xue Yun from Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province, after retirement, she often goes out camping with her friends. "We usually choose a place within 200 kilometers as our destination, and the biggest expenses are tents and sleeping bags. Unlike the traditional tourist walkabout model, camping focuses more on zero distance contact with nature while emphasizing hands-on skills, which is a very good activity that meets the needs of people of all ages."

Under the camping boom, how to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the industry, and constantly add color to the daily lives of the people?

In November 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and 14 other departments jointly issued the "Guidance on Promoting the Healthy and Orderly Development of Camping Tourism and Leisure" to promote the healthy and orderly development of camping tourism and leisure, and constantly meet the growing needs of the people for a better life. Not long ago, the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau and other 13 departments issued the "Opinions on standardizing and guiding the development of tent campsites (for trial implementation)", from the tent campsite site selection, safety management system, personnel registration, fire safety, extreme weather response, insurance services and other 20 aspects of the tent campsite safety precautions to make requirements.

In the view of Beijing Sports University professor Bai Yufei, in recent years from national to local policies to regulate the development of the camping industry, which on the one hand shows that the camping industry in the past few years "wild ride" has led to more and more environmental, safety and other areas of concern, relying solely on industry self-regulation has been difficult to achieve orderly and healthy development, the need for government through Timely guidance and moderate "restraint" to promote its wild growth to standard growth.

On the other hand, camping, as an emerging outdoor leisure mode, has a huge potential to evolve from an occasional experience to a micro-vacation trend, and its audience size and market size are far from being tapped. With government support, it is expected to play a unique role in alleviating demand contraction and helping to upgrade consumption.

According to Bai Yufei, the current camping industry is mainly reflected in three "degrees are not enough". First, the degree of scale is not enough, that is, around the camping industry is generally involved in the establishment of a short period of time, the registered capital of small and micro companies, the lack of recognized leading enterprises, few national chain institutions, which leads to the management of the scale effect is difficult to appear, it is difficult to form a standardized process of fine service and demonstration effect.

Second, the degree of linkage is not enough, that is, the concept of "camping +" is greater than the substance, and there is still a long way to go from the goal of camping to drive the development of industry clusters such as exhibition and entertainment, research and training, outdoor sports, catering and recreation, which in turn restricts the growth of the camping economy as a new industry.

Third, the degree of differentiation is not enough, that is, the scene is single, the product homogeneity of the phenomenon of "one side of a thousand camps" is prevalent, in the terrain and landscape, seasonal climate, customs and culture of the depth of the link design and different groups of innovative arrangements for differentiated activities, coupled with some to "make a quick buck "for the purpose of following the wind into the business of the crude replication behavior, the superposition led to the stability of the customer base tends to weaken, the industry reputation decline.

In this regard, Bai Yufei suggested that at the government level, encourage the competent departments to organize the selection of annual outstanding enterprises, take the initiative to establish a benchmark example of the camping industry and promote the popularization of representative cases. Support the head of the enterprise to take a reasonable and healthy way to increase capital and expand shares, regional and national chain layout, in order to systematically improve the standardization of basic services in the camping industry.

At the enterprise level, we should fully integrate with local socio-economic hot topics, actively contact activities such as carnivals, electric festivals, expos, training camps, etc., to attract camping players to "arrive a day early, stay an extra night, and come back again" through co-hosting, and gradually develop the campgrounds into leisure clusters with serialized and regular activities. In addition, efforts should be made to strengthen the theme setting and refinement, to create attractive and distinctive IPs according to local and seasonal conditions, and gradually form a new camping ecology of "thousands of camps and thousands of faces" to lead the "tide life" of quality vacation.