Children in a craft class during a camping program in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. CHINA DAILY

Polychromatic tents of various sizes and shapes resembling a mosaic have added vibrancy to forests, lakesides and beaches across the country's vast landscape since early summer.

It took Wu Xintao a while before he found an ideal vacant spot to set up camp at Xiangshanhu Park in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, for his first camping trip in June.

The park's grasslands have seen an increasing number of campers spread out equipment and lay back to bask in the sunny breeze while chatting with friends and families.

"The great part about camping is that you can randomly find a mountain or a small river and place some tables and chairs to experience everything nature has to offer," said Wu, who has participated in camping activities for five years.

He has many friends who share his love for camping. Since the weather warmed up, they have gathered to head to campsites and parks or find a patch of grassland away from the city during weekends.

More than 8.2 million posts about camping have turned up on the popular lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu as of the end of August.

As of April, there were about 166,000 camping-related enterprises in China, with 19,000 newly registered camping enterprises, according to business registration tracker Qichacha.

A lotus-shaped camping facility in Shanghai. CHINA DAILY

According to market consultancy iiMedia Research, there were more than 6,500 campsites across the country last year, with Beijing and Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Shandong provinces hosting the most.

The camping market scale is expected to reach 248 billion yuan ($34.82 billion) by 2025, according to the consultancy.

Cui Lianbo, co-founder of the Shanghai-based HikingCamp, received many bookings in September for the National Day holiday.

"We saw a bigger inflow of guests since March, mostly families with children or elderly," Cui said.

His company now runs more than 50 campsites, including those in the countryside within an 80-kilometer radius of first-tier cities, as well as camping restaurants in downtown parks, shopping malls and glamping hotels in hot tourist destinations like Sanya of Hainan province, Kunming of Yunnan province and Hulunbuir and Arxan of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"I expect most of them, each with a capacity of 200-500 guests, will be fully booked during the holiday," Cui said.

To better cater to tourists' needs, classes on natural science and wilderness survival skills have been launched.

"We also offer customized birthday and marriage proposal parties that link with clients' needs, sold at a premium price," Cui said.

Additionally, movies, picnics, photography and handicraft services, and fun games are offered to spice up traveler experiences.

"We encourage guests to interact with one another, so they can get outdoor relaxation experiences and gain sentimental value in the camping process," Cui said.

A camper paints the natural scenery at a camping site in Shanghai. CHINA DAILY

Stiff competition

Cui's camping business is among many that have paid greater attention to guest-oriented operations and content creation, according to the 2023 Camp Market Research Report conducted by the China Sporting Goods Federation's camping industry committee in June.

Although some obsolete camping businesses have been eliminated by market competition, the number of campsites nationwide has grown at a 30 percent rate annually, the report said.

It noted that the lower-tier markets are beginning to enter a stage of rapid development.

Picturesque mountains and waters, a strong pastoral atmosphere, ancient-style courtyards and camping tents have visitors flocking to the Hetang Yueshe (moon house over the lotus pond) campsite in Wufu, Nanping city of Fujian province.

"The campsite integrates the cultural characteristics of Wufu ancient town and provides recreational activities such as canopy barbecues, open-air cinemas, bonfire parties and tea brewing around a fire," said Liu Bin, a manager of the campsite.

Since its opening during the National Day holiday last year, the small getaway has received more than 8,000 visitors, Liu said.

About a two-hour drive to the southwest, Fulyu RV campsite in Taining county of Fujian offers accommodation in recreational vehicles, each of which is designed in courtyard style surrounded by greenery.

Additionally, each RV is equipped with a panoramic sunroof, allowing guests to enjoy a starry night while lying in bed.

In July, the campsite hosted dozens of teambuilding and parent-child events, a significant increase compared to the same period last year, said Xiao Yanping, a manager with the site that offers 24 RVs, 64 beds of various sizes, and a water park, barbecue, bonfire and tent camping.

Liu Yan, a senior official with the Beijing RV Camping and Self-Drive Tourism Association, said China's vast territory and abundant resources provide endless opportunities for the construction of campsites with creativity.

At the Sunshine Valley campsite in Miyun district, northeastern Beijing, a school was built in a forest setting where campers are given access to a wide range of intangible cultural heritage experiences, such as carpentry, leatherwear crafting, pottery and tie-dyeing.

At Dobu Camp in Huairou district to the west of Miyun, a cafe built in a cave gives campers a broad view of the grasslands below, while boating on the lake is also available.

The Beijing-based camping brand Lehero has fully tapped into the characteristics of various landscapes across the country and rolled out barbecues under starry nights, forest fun and immersion experiences on grasslands and deserts.

"The rise of the 'Camping Plus' concept has made camping increasingly diverse and given campers more options," Liu said.

To date, the integration of camping with sports, music, culture, food and health preservation, has given campsites a boost, she added.

Campers dress up in film costumes in Shanghai. CHINA DAILY

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.

Editor: Cheng Dengyu