Camping Changhong research and analysis: the business behind the resurgence is becoming more and more difficult to do

Affordable entry-level camping consumption is favored, the chaotic camp market is accelerating the reshuffle, and the "long red road" of the industry economy needs to be explored urgently

In recent years, when it comes to the hottest outdoor activities, camping is definitely on the list. As the weather warms up, the camping craze is back on the rise. In the short vacation that has just passed, whether it is an urban park or a suburban campsite, consumers can be seen camping in tents everywhere.

In fact, after several years of development, the camping economy has gradually matured on the market demand side, and camping has become a lifestyle choice for many consumers for outdoor recreation. However, from the supply side, the business of camping equipment, campsites and other related enterprises that were once sought after by the market and capital is becoming more and more difficult to do. On the one hand, consumers tend to be rational in buying camping equipment, and only need to buy affordable and lightweight equipment for light camping is favored by camping entry consumers;

1

The "camping fever" continues to heat up, and parent-child travel and young people have become the main force

Invite three or five friends to go to the suburbs or parks, set up a tent for picnics, barbecues, have a close contact with nature, and enjoy a comfortable time under the blue sky and white clouds, which has become a holiday choice for many people. Since the beginning of spring this year, the "camping fever" has continued to heat up. Mafengwo big data shows that the popularity of camping in various places is high, the popularity of "Guangdong camping" has increased by 150%, the popularity of "Shenzhen camping" has increased by 225%, and "camping + flower appreciation" has become the most popular camping game for young people in the Greater Bay Area.

The so-called camping refers to short-term outdoor living and leisure activities carried out in a piece of undeveloped land with certain natural scenery through tents, RVs, simple wooden houses, etc. Campsites are generally equipped with complete living, cleaning, and play facilities, as well as a variety of recreational activities, including open-air movies, barbecues, picnics, cycling, board games, and picking.

At present, the main force of camping consumption is concentrated in the post-80s who attach importance to children's experiential education and the post-90s and post-00s who love to socialize and catch up with the trend, and gradually spread to people of different ages. In the past Qingming Festival holiday, many parent-child families and young consumers chose camping and other leisure and entertainment methods. Meituan data shows that the search volume of keywords such as "campsite" has doubled year-on-year, and "camping barbecue" and "parent-child camping" have become popular search terms.

As a novel way of outdoor recreation, camping can not only get close to nature and relieve stress, but its social nature can also further promote the relationship between family and friends, which is a good way to enhance feelings and make connections. According to iiMedia Research's "2023 China Camping Economic Market Operation Monitoring Report", 78.87% of consumers want to relax and relieve stress, 62.89% want to promote family and friend relationships, 56.60% want to get close to nature, and 46.92% want to experience a new life.

2

The scale of the camping market is expanding rapidly, and Guangdong has the largest number of related enterprises

Compared with overseas markets with a rich camping culture and a century-old development history, camping only began to emerge in China in the 90s of the 20th century, when camping, as a "supporting sport" for mountaineering and hiking, was a niche hobby for some outdoor travelers. Until 2020, due to the impact of the epidemic, outbound travel and inter-provincial travel were restricted, and camping activities suitable for local and peripheral tours began to enter the public's field of vision and became a new choice for tourists to spend weekends and holidays. With people's enthusiasm for camping at an all-time high, the camping industry has also ushered in explosive growth.

According to iiMedia Consulting's "2022-2023 China Camping Industry Research and Benchmarking Enterprise Analysis Report", the core market size of China's camping economy will reach 113.47 billion yuan in 2022, driving the market size to 581.61 billion yuan, and it is expected that the core market size of China's camping economy will rise to 248.32 billion yuan in 2025, driving the market size to reach 1,440.28 billion yuan.

In terms of the number of enterprises, Qichacha data shows that as of March 2024, there are 162,400 camping-related enterprises in the mainland. Among them, from 2020 to 2022, the number of registrations and growth rates of related enterprises "soared", with the number of registrations reaching 11,800, 24,300, and 36,900 respectively, a year-on-year increase of 107.45%, 105.89%, and 51.85%. From the perspective of regional distribution, there are 14,100 camping-related enterprises in Guangdong, ranking first, while Shandong and Sichuan have 12,000 and 10,800 respectively, ranking the top three.

In 2023, people's enthusiasm for camping will continue unabated, and the number of related enterprises registered will reach 68,500, a year-on-year increase of 85.57%. iiMedia Consulting analysts believe that camping is not a "tourism replacement", nor is it a "limited Internet celebrity", but an emerging leisure scene that meets people's outdoor needs. As camping becomes the choice of more and more people for daily outdoor recreation, the market space of the camping industry will still be broad.

3

Camping equipment purchase tends to be rational Light camping is favored by beginners

No gear, no camping. Once upon a time, under the trend of refined camping, many consumers followed the trend to buy a complete range of camping equipment, which cost a lot of money. Many netizens shared that in the camping notes on social platforms, natural beauty does not seem to be the first pursuit of campers, and high-end retro-style tents, expensive picnic tables and other equipment have become indispensable elements of camping. Demand has given rise to the market, and related camping equipment manufacturers such as canopies, tents, folding chairs, stoves, tableware, etc., have shared a share of the camping economic dividend. Camping equipment brands such as the domestic "first camping stock" Mu Gaodi, Japan's "Camping Louis Vuitton" Snow Peak (Snow Peak, also translated as Snow Peak by users) have also risen strongly in this wave of exquisite camping.

However, the good times did not last long, according to Mu Gaodi's third quarter report in 2023, its revenue was 1.155 billion yuan, down 0.23% year-on-year, and the net profit attributable to the parent company was 110 million yuan, down 15.55% year-on-year. Snow Peak's recently released 2023 financial results are also not optimistic, with its sales revenue down 16.45% year-on-year, and its operating net profit down 74.3%. The reason for this is that in addition to being affected by the recovery of tourism in other places, more importantly, the purchase of camping equipment by users tends to be rational.

From "blindly following the trend and pursuing the brand" to "practicality is the first", in the eyes of many campers, affordable and lightweight equipment can also enjoy the fun of camping. Compared with exquisite camping, RV camping and other camping methods that require a large cost on equipment, light camping pays more attention to the lightweight and convenience of camping equipment, and does not have to deliberately look for a site, which has become the choice of many camping beginners.

Some netizens said on social platforms: "In the past, camping required a full set of equipment, just like moving half a home. Now a backpack is enough for light camping, which is very convenient. According to the data of Tmall's "March New Season", since the beginning of spring, the sales of outdoor inflatable beds, car side tents, camping pillows and other light camping equipment have heated up, with outdoor inflatable beds rising by 50% year-on-year and camping pillows increasing by more than 100% year-on-year.

According to the analysis of industry insiders, in recent years, one of the changes in the mainland's consumption upgrading is the continuous upgrading of quality consumption, which has brought about changes in individual or family consumption behaviors and consumption habits. In the past, it was consumed for others to see, but now it is consumed for oneself to see, and it is easy to enjoy outdoor life.

4

Explore the camping economy, "Changhong Road" and "Camping +" are developing in a diversified manner

In the rapidly developing camping market, in addition to equipment product companies, camping camps, as outdoor activity carriers, have also become the most profitable business in the industry. Related camp enterprises have sprung up to expand on a large scale, and consumers often have a situation where "one place is hard to find".

However, in the context of the large-scale expansion of camps, the camping industry has problems such as imperfect supporting service facilities, lack of safety guarantees, asymmetry of corresponding tourism information, and imperfect regulatory standards.

How to guide the healthy and sustainable development of the camping economy has become an unavoidable problem. According to the analysis of experts, the development of the "camping economy" must be guided by consumer demand, and the popularity of Internet celebrity check-in camping will inevitably subside. The camping economy around the country attracts the attention of tourists with the help of traffic is only the first step, and after attracting tourists to the past, they will gain word-of-mouth and "return rate", which is the key to the camping economy to achieve "long-term popularity".

According to iiMedia Research, 67.17% of consumers tend to integrate elements into camping camps, 67.17% of consumers tend to farm entertainment elements (agricultural picking gardens, fishing and fishing, etc.), 65.66% of consumers tend to parent-child elements (parent-child sports and amusement parks and other parent-child projects), 49.06% of consumers tend to music and dance elements (bonfire dance, music festivals, etc.), and 32.08% of consumers tend to adventure elements (rafting, gliding, jungle CS, etc.). At present, many businesses smell the development potential of the camping economic industry, and by adding interesting elements, camping scenes such as "camping + scenic spots", "camping + sports" and "camping + research" continue to innovate and enrich to mobilize consumers' interest in camping.

In addition, the introduction of relevant policies is also helping the camping industry to develop benignly. In November 2022, 14 departments, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Healthy and Orderly Development of Camping Tourism and Leisure". The opinions clearly stated, "Promote the development of the whole industrial chain." Expand and strengthen the upstream and downstream industrial chain of camping tourism and leisure, and improve the overall efficiency of the whole industry chain. Guide the large-scale and chain operation of campsites, incubate high-quality camp brands, and cultivate leading enterprises. "With deepening the supply-side structural reform as the main line, we will comply with the new needs of the people's tourism and leisure consumption experience. ”

In Guangzhou, the Guangzhou Municipal Forestry and Garden Bureau released the "List of Open and Shared Areas for Parks and Green Spaces in Guangzhou" in May 2023, opening up and gradually increasing the number of green spaces for citizens to set up tents and leisure activities in 11 districts of the city. At the same time, we will work with relevant departments to increase inspection and law enforcement, crack down on illegal occupation and illegal business activities, and provide effective support for the healthy and orderly development of camping and leisure activities.

Data source

Qichacha, Guangzhou Forestry and Garden Bureau, iiMedia Consulting, "2022-2023 China Camping Industry Research and Benchmarking Enterprise Analysis Report", "2023 China Camping Economic Market Operation Monitoring Report", Mafengwo, Meituan, Tmall, Xiaohongshu

(Source: New Express reporter Luo Yun Xie Jiaxi)