A breath of fresh air
China’s growing appetite for outdoor tourism sees boom for related businesses
More people are taking to hiking in the mountains or setting up campsites this summer in China, as they seek to stay healthy, beat everyday stress and foster ecological awareness.
This is creating more opportunities for the outdoor economy, including recreational tourism and outdoor sports.
Zhang Xingyu, 36, who grew up near the mountains of his hometown in Zunyi, Guizhou province, moved to Shanghai in 2006 to study at Shanghai Jiaotong University and has worked in the city’s automobile industry ever since.
Last year, memories of outdoor activities — catching fish and shrimp at a stream after school— came flooding back when Zhang, now the father of a four-year-old boy, went camping.
“Suddenly, I remembered what it was like to be a part of nature, in the fresh air and open spaces,” Zhang said. “Camping has enriched our family life and brought us closer as father and son.”
“To make fire with wooden sticks that I myself had sharpened was a real joy,” he said. “People become more agile outdoors.”
Since then, Zhang’s family and friends have gathered almost every weekend to camp near the mountains or climb them. An outdoor gadgets collector, Zhang has spent almost 100,000 yuan ($14,159) on camping equipment, and a similar amount on clothing and shoes. “Every trip is a chance to discover something new to make our trip better,” he said.
Many outdoor tracking routes and tourism destinations saw explosive growth of visitors during the May Day holiday, said Yu Ge, founder of Oasis Outdoor, an outdoor tourism company in Beijing.
“If in the past three years, camping was about parks and suburbs, in the first five months of this year, it was about setting up tents and traveling to farther destinations and tourism sites, such as Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Yunnan province,” he said.
According to data from Ctrip, China’s leading online tourism agency, reservations for camping tourism products climbed more than 100 percent in March compared to February.
The popularity of camping and outdoor sports tourism has been most visible in big cities and hot tourist spots such as Shanghai, Sanya of Hainan province, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.
Qian Teng, 37, a former executive at an international hospitality chain who now owns a homestay in Miyun district of Beijing, said his business has been booming over the past three years as Beijing residents would stay there and go on fishing, hiking and mountain climbing expeditions.
Qian goes hiking with his daughter Qian Yuehan, 7, to the Great Wall and nearby mountains in Beijing during weekends.
“Outdoor tourism in China is still in its infancy, yet it has great potential,” he said. “The younger generation, who face a lot of pressure from work and life, will find outdoor adventure a relaxation.”
Qian Teng is also full of praise for outdoor sports.
Different from other sports activities where people spend two to three hours playing, outdoor activities often take one or two days, he said.
“Great ideas often come to me after I’ve spent a day climbing or hiking in the hills, taking in the beautiful views,” he said.
Chinese consumers’ newfound passion for outdoor sports and lifestyles has encouraged more brands to innovate and develop apparel and equipment for the outdoors.
Athletic apparel and equipment brand Lululemon has developed a hiking collection for the Chinese market. On May 23, Lululemon launched its first road-to-trail running shoe, Blissfeel Trail, which offers greater traction and durability with an upper featuring a protective film and a rugged outsole for enhanced grip.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people began to go outdoors, and our Hike collection has been welcomed by our Chinese guests well, seeing faster growth in our total Play category,” the company said.
According to a Mintel survey, consumers in China who choose professional outdoor sports brands are more concerned about the environment. They use outdoor sports gear more frequently in their daily life and are more interested in socializing through outdoor activities. Outdoor sportswear should strike a balance between functionality and fashionable design, the survey report said.
Beneunder, a lifestyle clothing and equipment producer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has extended traditional outdoor products to urban occasions to reach more consumers.
“The outdoor economy is on the rise, with a shortage being discovered between wild outdoor spaces and urban centers,” the company said. “Not everyone is about to climb the snow mountains, but a short trip to the city’s outskirts to play Frisbee or just go into tents also creates an outdoor experience.”
Based on these insights, the company has developed lightweight outdoor apparel, shoes and equipment for young city dwellers. It invested 632 million yuan in the first half of 2022 in research and development of scientific technologies including anti-cold, anti-fatigue and anti-heat technologies.
Sales of its foldable sunglasses grew 1,300 percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2022, contributing to 7.1 percent of its overall revenues. During the May Day holiday this year, its retail stores saw a sales surge, with those at tourism hot spots like Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Kunming, Yunnan province, topping the list.
The camping economy has found greater support from government policies.
In November, the Development Plan for Outdoor Sports Industry 2022-2025 was issued by eight ministries, including the General Administration of Sports. It showed that by 2025, the country would have an outdoor sports industry valued at more than 3 trillion yuan, and build more than 10,000 camping sites for outdoor sports.
A guideline issued by 14 ministries, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has supported the orderly development of camping tourism and leisure activities.
Despite the high-speed development of the camping market since 2020, its penetration rate is merely 3 percent, according to iiMedia Research. The ratio is more than 10 percent in markets where there is a much longer history of camping and outdoor activities, such as in Japan and the United States, it said.
Li Jiqin, head of e-commerce of Mobi Garden, a producer of outdoor gear and clothing, said eight out of 10 users of camping products are new to the field.
The company has developed entrylevel products, such as tent canopies, tables and chairs, as well as trolleys. He said new activities such as park camping, car camping and hike camping are being adopted now.
“We are optimistic about the market this year given the rising number of newcomers and the demand for more camping products from senior players,” said Li.
Yu of Oasis Outdoor said the recovery seen in domestic and international tourism has had an impact on the camping market, offsetting its growth. Yet, demand for weekend trips and family outdoor leisure activities is still strong.
The camping industry, he said, will see a return to rational growth after the earlier high-growth phase.
“The sector is expected to see more steady growth as residential incomes improve and the number of cars increase, creating a high-quality and more regulated industry,” Yu said.
Smaller-sized or poorly managed camping sites will be the first to go, Yu said, adding: “Only those who are truly passionate about the industry will survive.”
He said a diversified business model and well-designed support infrastructure would boost the camping industry and meet the needs of a more fragmented market.
“Outdoor industry is still a niche sector, which requires knowledge of processes and advanced equipment,” said Yu.
Qualified outdoor guides and professionals who have certifications and on-site training for at least two years are in great demand, he said.
A shortage of professionals has often led to safety issues in outdoor activities, and these are big hurdles when raising funds for expanding the outdoor tourism industry, Yu said.
“The healthy development of the outdoor economy should be taken step by step,” he said.