The spring caravan market is heating up. On April 6, just after the Qingming holiday, some RV rental providers reported that "May Day" RV bookings soared, an increase of more than 3.5 times year-on-year, and orders from some RV rental platforms have even been booked into the summer. The lengthening of the product booking cycle and the increase in the proportion of long-term inter-provincial travel are new changes that are quietly taking place in the caravan market this year. Not only do RV rental orders continue to rise, but RV manufacturers are also assessing the situation and launching a variety of new models in line with market changes. While the caravan tourism market is soaring, the market is still constrained by factors such as imperfect infrastructure and equipment, and a small number of professional camps.
Tourists: Prefer long-distance routes
"We're about to go!" Yang Pai, who plans to become self-media, said excitedly, "At the beginning of the year, my family and I began to make travel plans for this year, and we expect to leave for the northwest route to Gansu and Xinjiang in May and June. Yang Pai, who loves to travel, bought a motorhome at the end of 2021, thinking that it would be more interesting to travel by RV in China at that time.
While looking down to check the hardware equipment in the RV, Yang Pai gently wiped the dust that had fallen in the past few months with a wet rag, "After more than half a year, this 'big white bear' is going to accompany us again." The Northwest Route has been very popular lately, so we wanted to experience it too. This trip will take about 3-4 months, and then adjust accordingly according to the plan to see whether to return to Beijing to rest or continue the journey."
Liu Hong, who is considering buying an RV with her husband, said, "Our husband and wife have relatively free working hours, so we are planning to buy a small RV to travel around the country, and this year we are going to go all the way south to Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and other destinations, and when the weather is a little hotter, we will go to Xinjiang to 'escape the summer' to eat skewers and see the scenery."
"Although outbound travel has resumed this year, we have also seen that international air tickets and hotels are still at a high level, so we still choose to travel in China, and driving RVs is also free, and playing wherever you go." Liu Hong said.
Since the beginning of this year, there are not a few tourists like Yang Pai and Liu Hong who choose RV tourism, they either drive their own cars or rent on the platform to embark on a long-distance journey. "The biggest difference between this year and the previous two years is that no matter how far the journey is, we can include it in the itinerary, which is something that the previous two years did not dare to imagine." Liu Hong said.
Leasing providers: The number of bookings on May Day increased by more than 3.5 times year-on-year
"In addition to the popularity of long-term travel products, unlike the previous two years, this year's consumer booking cycle is also getting longer." Yang Songbai, general manager of SAIC RV Life Home, revealed.
"Because the scenery in the northwest during the summer vacation is very beautiful, some tourists have already begun to consult about related products and make reservations, and there are already many orders." Saying that, Wang Yankun, the founder of Wolf Totem Travel, began to work with the team on new routes.
In SAIC RV Life, an advance of orders has also occurred. "There are even some tourists who book summer products half a year in advance after the Spring Festival, because the resources of long-distance products are relatively scarce, and there is no margin if they do not book early." Yang Songbai said.
Recently, the continuous release of consumer demand for caravan tourism has also made various caravan rental companies full of confidence. Yang Songbai told the Beijing Business Daily reporter: "Since entering March, the booking of caravan flower viewing related products has been hot, and the number of bookings has increased by about 160% year-on-year. As of mid-to-late March, bookings for RV products during May Day increased by more than 3.5 times year-on-year, an increase of about 180% compared to the same period in 2021, with the earliest order being created in January. We expect that the scale of caravan tourism will return to the same period in 2019 this year. ”
Wang Yankun also said, "It has been really busy recently, and the current number of inquiries and bookings has increased significantly, up about 80% compared with 2021 and 2022." Some time ago, Wolf Totem launched a pre-sale activity, and the overall sales were around 3 million yuan. Since the beginning of this year, the recovery of the entire tourism market has been very significant, and it is expected that the caravan tourism market will continue to improve."
Manufacturer: 2-5 people self-propelled motorhomes sell well
The growing enthusiasm of consumers for caravan travel has also given motorhome manufacturers a taste of the sweetness.
The relevant person in charge of Yutong RV told the Beijing Business Daily reporter: "The sales volume of Yutong RV in 2022 has not been greatly affected, but has shown a growth trend, with a market share of 10.8%, an increase of 1.1 percentage points year-on-year. Sales are expected to continue to grow in 2023. In recent years, with the rapid growth of the RV market, some RV companies have also begun to look for new opportunities and reap dividends.
"Entering the new year, the demand for RVs has risen sharply, and we are increasing our investment." The relevant person in charge of Yutong RV further introduced, "With the resumption of inter-provincial travel, consumers are more willing to take the whole family to travel together, and the sales of self-propelled RVs that can take 2-5 people have increased rapidly, so in terms of manufacturing, the workshop is also stepping up production according to order planning and scheduling plans." ”
The newly revised Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses, which came into effect on April 1 last year, added a C6 driver's license for light tractor-trailers. The favorable policy has also increased the number of RV users. "RV users have really increased, as the implementation of the new driver's license has also made a lot of consumers who are not familiar with trailers interested, and it has also driven our sales." The relevant person in charge of Yutong RV said frankly.
According to the "2022 China RV Market Report" released by the China Automobile Dealers Association, the annual sales of self-propelled recreational vehicles in 2022 reached 11,391 units, down 9.5% year-on-year, and the average monthly sales exceeded 1,000 units; 3,670 trailer caravans, a year-on-year increase of 3.6%; 7,708 used recreational vehicles were traded, a year-on-year increase of 290%. It can be seen that the market dividend is constantly being released.
As more and more consumers enter the RV market, it is particularly important to design a variety of RVs with different usage scenarios to meet the different needs of consumers. The relevant person in charge of Yutong RV said that in the future, Yutong RV will also launch a series of high-end RVs, including high-end off-road RVs suitable for a variety of complex road conditions, double-expansion RVs with family travel, and B-type RVs that combine commuting, business and travel.
Restrictions: Few specialized camps and inadequate facilities
"There are fewer professional campsites where you can park your motorhomes." Talking about the current constraints of the RV market, Yang Songbai and Wang Yankun gave the same answer.
"Although the mainland caravan market is developing steadily, the market scale is expanding, and the southwest and northwest routes are also very popular with consumers, there are almost no caravan camps that can truly meet the market and meet the needs of consumers." Wang Yankun said frankly.
The data of "no more than 500" is the scale of the current standardized camp configuration of caravans in China given by Yang Songbai. "Not only is the number small, but the professionalism of the camps is also a problem, far from meeting the market demand. The caravan market is largely dependent on the development of camps. Therefore, the uneven level of existing camps in China limits the healthy development of the RV market to a certain extent. ”
In addition to the small number of camps and low professionalism, problems such as insufficient construction of supporting infrastructure in camps still need to be solved urgently. "More than half of the RV sites are supplied with water and electricity, and there are almost no other supporting camping facilities. Even many campsites just set up a few water and electricity piles in the parking lot, and RV users are reluctant to move in, which has become a bottleneck in the development of RV travel. Yang Songbai said.
Liu Hanqi, secretary-general of the self-driving tour and camping caravan branch of the China Tourist Car and Boat Association, said that the country needs to increase investment in RV supporting infrastructure to further promote the development of the RV market, make it more convenient for consumers who have purchased RVs, and make camping enterprises that provide RV parking more profitable. At present, the RV market is still in its infancy, and there is still some way to go to the rapid development stage, and various departments need to break the gullies between departments and further enhance the awareness of RVs in the whole society.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Wu Qiyun