Why is the camping business heading towards 30 billion?

Exquisite young people have set their sights on camping, the original private option for outdoor people.

Taking the just-ended Qingming Festival as an example, although many places across the country are still covered by the epidemic, young people’s desire to go out for an outing cannot be suppressed.

During the Qingming Festival in 2022, people’s travel radius has become smaller, but their enthusiasm has not diminished, and local travel has become a mainstream trend. According to the "2022 Qingming Festival Travel Insights" released by Ctrip, in terms of scenic spot ticket bookings, peripheral and local ticket orders accounted for 88%, and nearly 90% of tourists visiting scenic spots chose to travel at home. Under such circumstances, camping has become one of the "optimal solutions" for travel. According to data released by Tongcheng Travel, searches for "camping" nationwide during this year's Qingming Festival holiday increased by 98% month-on-month.

After the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020, the popularity of camping has moved from the niche to the masses. According to a research report released by iiMedia Consulting, from 2014 to 2021, the market size of China’s camping camps increased from 7.71 billion yuan to 29.90 billion yuan. The growth rate is expected to reach 18.6% in 2022, with the market size reaching 35.46 billion yuan.

A larger market also means more opportunities to make money.

What is the charm of camping that makes players willing to pay for it? After smelling this trend, is the camping business really ready? Ultimately, who is making the camping money?

Although he missed his Qingming Festival trip, Xiaobei, who is based in Hangzhou, has already begun to make his own May Day camping plans in advance.

Compared to spending time choosing a suitable camping site, Xiaobei prefers to browse all kinds of camping equipment on Taobao: cotton tents, canopies, egg roll tables, moon chairs, gas lamps ... She stuffed all these familiar or unfamiliar camping items into her shopping cart, and it was only when she took the final step of payment that she realized they were worth a lot of money.

"If you think about it seriously, it's really troublesome to buy all these camping equipment piece by piece, but I want to take good-looking photos, preferably the same as the camping photos posted by Xiaohongshu bloggers." Even though he knew the cost of camping equipment was high, Xiaobei still wanted to fulfill his wish. In the end, she settled on a "pack-and-go" camping package. The all-inclusive price for two people is 969 yuan. She only needs to bring personal necessities. All other equipment is provided by the campground merchant. It is similar to staying in a hotel, except that the venue is changed. Into the wild. In addition, the campsite also includes other services including afternoon tea, tent setting experience, dinner, camp activities and breakfast.

There are not a few young people like Xiaobei who have a three-minute passion for camping. The camping photos posted in Moments during holidays are their social currency. Whether the types of equipment shown in the photos are complete means that they How much investment cost was paid.

"Ever since the Xiaohongshu filter incident, I have been prepared for the possibility of overturning. The price is just like going out to stay in a hotel and seeing the scenery. It is not a loss to try it," Xiaobei said about himself idea. The campsite that Xiaobei was interested in also launched a basic site package of 100 yuan, which means that users bring all their own equipment, and the campsite provides a site for tents, as well as public resources such as water and toilets in the same area. .

In addition to popular first- and second-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, third- and fourth-tier cities such as Jiaxing, Zhangzhou, and Huizhou also have multiple camping spots, and the prices are not low. Take the Pinghu Camping Conference, where the camping brand "Big Hot Wilderness" will be launched during the May Day period, as an example. The price of a carry-on tent that can accommodate up to four people is 1,200 yuan, and the price of only including the entrance ticket and excluding the tent is 300 yuan. Parking tickets cost an additional 200 yuan. From a geographical point of view, Pinghu is located in Zhejiang, but close to Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places, which can attract more tourists from first- and second-tier cities.

There are many ways to play camp business, and naturally more people will join the game.

According to iiMedia Consulting data, as of October 15, 2021, there are more than 30,000 domestic camping camp companies, of which growth will surge in 2020 and 2021, with more than 8,000 and 8,000 new companies added respectively. Over 15,000 campsite companies.

At the same time, camping sites have also received a lot of capital favor.

In November 2021, "Hot Wilderness", which was just one year old, received two consecutive rounds of investment worth tens of millions of yuan. In March this year, another camping brand “Hi King” wild luxury camp also received a million-level angel round of financing. In terms of style of play, the two camping brands are similar. One is a carry-on package for novice players, emphasizing "wild luxury" and "resort-style camping", focusing on young users, while the other is a regular camp ticket.

Obviously, the profit margin of "check-in" is larger, but it is difficult to retain repeat customers with a single outdoor scene. Camping brands are also innovating in gameplay, such as "camping + outing to enjoy flowers", " "Seaside camping + water sports", "starry sky camping + bonfire dance", etc.

Having been camping for many years, A Mao, who is based in Guangzhou, has not only experienced camping on surrounding islands, but also traveled inland to try mountain camping. Although the styles were different, they all satisfied his desire to get close to nature.

In his opinion, although the grab-and-go camping package is convenient and fast, it will feel repetitive after a few experiences. Almost every tent is a standardized product on the assembly line, and efforts are made to integrate various camping websites. All red factors are combined, but the fun of DIY is missing.

What's more important is that it's very expensive to live in a package, and the full experience will cost nearly a thousand yuan per person.

At the same time, camping has also driven the consumption of drones, coffee pots, flying discs and other related products.

Similar to the situation of campsites, camping equipment brands have also become upstarts in the eyes of investors.

In March this year, Mugaodi released its 2021 annual performance report, showing that its operating income in 2021 was 923 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 43.64%, and the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 78.0891 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 69.85%. %. On April 6, Noko, a domestic outdoor brand founded in 2010, completed nearly 100 million yuan in financing. Noko provides one-stop outdoor equipment and travel products to the world. This financing is the first time that the company has accepted external investment.

The demand for camping equipment is booming, which also puts pressure on the upstream supply chain. According to China Business News, the camping collection store Gogogo placed orders for factories ten times as much as in previous years in 2021. However, because “workers and equipment cannot keep up, the arrival time is often delayed by half a year.” According to the "China Camping Market Research Report" released by Lanxiong Sports, since the beginning of 2021, raw materials required for camping equipment, including iron ore, steel, aluminum, PVC, etc., have been increasing in price, affecting the operating costs of upstream companies in the industry. . The indirect impact of the epidemic has also made it more difficult to balance supply and demand.

Different from the past outdoor camping that was characterized by "extreme" and "arduous", the camping method chosen by Ah Mao is called "Glamping", which is a combination of the words Glamorous and Camping, emphasizing delicacy. While aesthetically pleasing, it also restores the urban lifestyle in nature to the greatest extent possible.

This new type of camping has become one of the ways for the middle class to show their quality of life. The high-end players who have caught wind of this have differentiated themselves from other players through equipment with more personal taste. They are willing to spend more. The price allows you to invest in camping equipment that combines performance and aesthetics, and you can afford the resulting brand premium.

However, purchasing camping equipment is only the first step in the secret competition between the middle class. What kind of camping site to choose, whether there is a large SUV or professional camper van that can accommodate family members and equipment, and whether they will bring it with them. Photographic equipment peers... Behind the interlocking multiple-choice questions are the hidden costs that the middle class may invest.

New camping has become a new game for the middle class.

Social media such as Xiaohongshu has certainly contributed to the popularity of camping.

As of now, there are more than 900,000 “camping” related notes on Xiaohongshu, and the number of #camping# topics on Douyin has exceeded 8.8 billion times. Behind the ultra-high data, young people continue to flock to camping sites, and capital has repeatedly entered the industry. The camping market seems to have unlimited prospects.

However, with its rapid development, the camping business also encountered some problems.

The first is the supporting facilities of the camp.

When tourists choose to experience nature, they will most likely sacrifice some comfort. On Xiaohongshu, there are many popular science posts about how to take a bath and use the toilet at the campsite, and there are often comments complaining about encountering snakes or other wild animals in the wild. In addition, the opening hours of campsites are affected by local weather, seasons and other factors, and the distinction between off-peak and peak seasons is obvious. In some of Xiaohongshu’s camping notes, bare grass and dissatisfied voices can be vaguely seen.

Secondly, there is the realization of camping brands.

In a report by All Weather Technology, Zhu Xian, the founder of Dare Wilderness, mentioned that they have adopted ground cooperation with land owners, hotels and tourist attractions to share profits. Under this model, there is no need to rent a site in Dare Wilderness, and the water and power grid can also be used in scenic spots and hotels. The heavier costs are team salaries and equipment investors. A camp’s annual investment may exceed one million.

In November 2021, Mu Gaodi subscribed for 10% of the equity of Dare Wilderness for 10 million yuan. In response, an analysis by West China Securities found that from January to October of the same year, the operating income of Dare Wilderness was 10.96 million. yuan, the net profit is 102,100 yuan, and the net interest rate is 1%. However, considering the opportunities of exquisite camping, West China Securities ultimately maintained a "buy" rating. Clearly, campgrounds still have a long way to go before becoming profitable.

At the same time, the number of competitors in campsites is also increasing, and the homogeneity of one-time luxury experiences that you can live in with your bags is still serious.

Once again, it is the standardization of the camping industry.

Rather than driving to campsites dozens or hundreds of kilometers away to camp, many tourists choose parks close to their homes. However, some parks prohibit camping due to lawn maintenance. In October 2021, Huzhou City issued four documents including the "Huzhou City Scenicized Construction and Service Standards for Camping Camps" and "Huzhou City Scenicized Safety Prevention Guidelines for Camping Camps" to make changes in the construction standards and safety supervision of camping camps. stipulated.

Since the epidemic, the tourism industry has continued to slump. The emergence of camping not only provides ordinary people who have been bored at home for a long time with the opportunity to breathe fresh air, but also gives the market a shot in the arm. Many former tourism companies Players choose to transition to camping.

The process of rapid expansion is often accompanied by various problems. Only when the industry becomes more standardized and consumers become more rational, the camping business may be truly ready.