Since the emergence of camping, “poetry and distance” have specific images.
Young people who work hard in the office every day are eager to breathe fresh air in nature on weekends, embrace the breeze, taste birds and smell flowers. More conditionally, in the envious eyes of others, boil a cup of ear hanging coffee or open a bottle of red wine to have a deep dialogue between soul and nature.
Since then, time can be spent, and photos can be carefully designed and released.
“Picnics and camping are addictive”, “after close contact with the land, trees, mountains, rivers and sunshine, I found the life I yearned for”… During the May Day holiday, camping broke out completely. Whose circle of friends hasn’t brushed the open camp sharing of dozens of friends?
With the increase of participants, more and more hot money also poured into the industry, and the battle for profit began. Will the campsite business be “scalded” and “dried up” by this upsurge?
When the spring breeze is warm, all things shine. But after the holiday, many places across the country have ushered in a wave of strong warming. According to the meteorological observatory, by May 21 and 22, the temperature in many places in the Huang Huai Region of North China had exceeded 30.
With the advent of midsummer, “dry and hot” camping will face “cooling”. In the face of outdoor high temperature and mosquitoes, will these young people who fall in love with camping turn to the arms of iced watermelon and crayfish?
In the first year of “camping”, the audience split rapidly
According to AI media consulting data, the core market scale of China’s camping economy reached 74.75 billion yuan in 2021, driving the market scale to 381.23 billion yuan. It is expected that the market scale driven by China’s camping economy is expected to reach 144028 billion yuan in 2025.
Photo source: analysis report on the development prospect and commercial layout of camping economy in China from 2022 to 2025
“The epidemic has been in its third year. We can’t cross provinces and are eager to go out for ventilation. In fact, the demand is very simple. We just want to find a place to have fun with children or dogs, and camping provides such a scene.” In the wechat voice interview on May 6, Li Qiang, who has worked in a travel agency for many years and operated two home stay and one camp, admitted.
According to the financial report of China Central Television, since January this year, the turnover of outdoor tents has increased by 119% year-on-year, and the turnover of camping equipment such as large tents, sky curtains and folding tables and chairs has more than tripled. Jingdong consumption data show that from April 30 to May 3, the purchase of tents / cushions by users across the country increased by 100%. Every time the reporter searched the tent and sky curtain on Taobao, he found that the monthly sales of the top products reached 20000 ~ 30000, and the products with the keywords “exquisite” and “ins style” were highly sought after.
When users have needs, enterprises naturally follow the tuyere. Search “camping” in qixinbao. The data show that as of May 12, there were more than 5000 related enterprises in China.
The feedback from the capital market is the most direct Comefly Outdoor Co.Ltd(603908) ( Comefly Outdoor Co.Ltd(603908) . SH) is mainly engaged in camping tents. Before April this year, the stock price hovered around 34 yuan / share. After closing at more than 40 yuan / share on April 8, it began to soar, and soared to 98.88 yuan / share on May 18, a record high.
Every reporter also found that camping related enterprises have also ushered in financing fever. It is reported that on April 7, naturehike, an outdoor equipment brand, completed a financing of nearly 100 million yuan, which was exclusively invested by Zhongding capital. On April 13, ABC camping, a brand of camping culture, completed an angel round of financing of millions of dollars, and the investor was Castle Peak capital.
Under this tuyere, the online variety market has also made new moves. In mid April, Zhejiang satellite TV launched a self driving camping youth slow variety “Star chaser 2”; Before the May Day holiday, the outdoor trend camping reality show “camping together” created by iqiyi was officially launched; In the sixth season of yearning for life, there is also a picture of camping under the sea sky.
Within a few months, the camping audience has rapidly split, and the radiation range is spreading from the first tier and new first tier cities to the third and fourth tier cities. According to the data of xiaohongshu’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the five cities with the highest search volume of “camping” are Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hangzhou.
In an interview with reporters on wechat in early May, Zhang Yi, CEO of AI media consulting, said that the fundamental driving force of camping economic development is an inevitable way of leisure after China’s economic development and per capita disposable income have increased to a certain stage. In addition, in recent years, the construction of green water and green mountains has brought certain basic conditions for citizens to travel, and the equipment and facilities are becoming more and more perfect. Several reasons have accumulated, resulting in the outbreak of camping fever.
A full-scale camping trip is as complicated as moving a home
Turn the stereo to the light channel, pets and children are hilarious, and people drink in twos and threes… Camping looks beautiful.
But few people mentioned that a comprehensive camping trip is as complex as moving a home! Senior camping player Jiamu summarized the preparation of a complete set of camping as “very troublesome”. “A better tent is 40kg ~ 60kg. I’m tired after the whole construction.”
Tents, sleeping bags, camping tables and chairs, outdoor beds, moisture-proof mats, blankets, CASS stoves, outdoor pots, tableware, water cups, waterproof clothes, shoes, knives, food, toiletries, electric lights, coal lamps, steam lamps, etc. In order to increase fun, audio, drinks, balloons, works of art, books, frisbees, fishing gear and so on are also very common.
Jiamu paid attention to camping in August 2021 and became a little famous professional player in the circle after learning the strategy for about three months. Recently, in less than a year, Jiamu has repeatedly lamented the development speed of camping in China.
Last year, the camp generally charged 80-100 yuan per person per day, but this year, most of them have risen to 200300 yuan per person. If it is a bag check-in, the price is more expensive. It is 800 ~ 1500 yuan per person per night, which is close to the price of four-star and five-star hotels. Plus the cost of self driving in the past, the price of each trip is not low. Many players admitted to reporters that the current camping facilities and services are not enough to match the high prices.
But Jiamu admitted that he found the high threshold of camping after entering the pit. “The development of camping in China is mainly divided into several areas, mainly in the Pearl River Delta, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beijing and Sichuan. With the upgrading of consumption, people with strong economic strength can go to play.”
“‘exquisite camping ‘is competitive. When we buy equipment, we will constantly update and iterate. Camping players will have the psychology of collection and comparison, and will constantly upgrade equipment. We may change from the earliest psychology of wanting to go out and get in touch with nature to wanting to buy better equipment and take better photos.” The truth is that men seldom talk about family and children in camping. Instead, they mostly study equipment and are keen to discuss these topics in the camp.
Camping equipment has become a social pass to some extent. For example, DOD “rabbit” in Japan and Nordisk “big white bear” in Denmark are all popular brands. They even need to pay twice the price to buy them in DOD tmall store. Inconspicuous trolleys, sky curtains and other equipment often cost more than 10000 yuan.
In less than a year, Jiamu has invested more than 80000 yuan. According to him, this is only the consumption of the middle-class. “I think the input of 10000 yuan is the entry level, 50000 yuan ~ 100000 yuan may be the middle level, and 100000 yuan ~ 200000 yuan is a high level.
But camping is not without a ceiling. More than 200000 yuan is almost over. If it is the joint name of chairs and luxury brands such as LV, it has nothing to do with camping. “
The parks along the river in Guangzhou are crowded with people at weekends. Many colleagues around Jiamu have gone to experience Park Camping. For a few hundred yuan, they can publish a group of colorful and exquisite pictures in the circle of friends. “You should say it’s camping, but I won’t go. When there are many people, I lose the meaning of camping. I wanted to find a place to see the scenery and get in touch with nature.”
Camp investment is generally less than one million. Can it be profitable in the short term
As more and more entrepreneurs enter the market, is there enough cake in the campsite?
Li Qiang believes that the market space of camping can fully match that of B & B. referring to the current number and density of B & B across the country, it can be seen that even if the campsite has ushered in an obvious outbreak in recent years, it is far from enough for the whole market.
“The track is not crowded at present, and the supply is far less than the demand. The simplest example is the May Day holiday. So many new camps have been opened, but consumers have to book it a week in advance.” He said.
Every reporter noticed that Beijing endless summer exquisite Camping Park was on sale on March 29 on the eve of the Qingming Festival, and all products during the Qingming Festival holiday the next day had been sold out. In a telephone interview on May 7, the co founders of endless summer said that they saved more capital construction costs for land development through cooperation with local governments, and the initial cash investment cost was about 800000 yuan. If the “May Day” was not affected by the epidemic and closed down, it would take about a month and a half to return to the capital.
Nomadscamp, another nomadic camp in Chongqing, also saves capital construction and other costs by cooperating with local governments. On May 8, Meiying, the co-founder of the camp, told reporters in a telephone interview that the nomadic camp invested about 500000 yuan in the early stage and 250000 yuan / month in the peak season. It has returned to its capital in the second month of opening, and the two camps that have been operated since then have also realized profits in the short term.
Beijing Sanfo Outdoor Products Co.Ltd(002780) ( Beijing Sanfo Outdoor Products Co.Ltd(002780) , SZ) said in the investor relations activity on May 7 that the company’s camps adopt the mode of asset light and express camp, and the investment of each camp is about 100000 ~ 300000. Due to the continuous outbreak of camping fever in China this year, it can be profitable in the short term.
Source: screenshot of announcement
There are gains and losses. Not all camps can make money in the short term.
“According to different factors such as the size of the camp, the quality of equipment and the positioning of customers, the investment in the camp is basically 500000 yuan ~ 5 million yuan. If the early investment in infrastructure and equipment purchase is too high, the operation may be maintained under careful operation, but it is difficult to make a lot of money and make a profit in the short term.” On May 6, the co-founder of camp 21 in Beijing said in a telephone interview with reporters.
In Li Qiang’s view, no matter any industry seizes the window of the bonus period, it will have the opportunity to make money. Therefore, the admission opportunity is also an important factor in the camp’s profit. At present, there is still room for the camp track, but with more and more camps pouring out, the costs of land rent, equipment and marketing will rise, which will naturally narrow the profitability of the camp.
The risk of relying on B & B environment is much higher than that of B & B environment
Camping is a new consumption form driven by the epidemic. With the emergence of various campsites and the participation of mass players, camping is no longer as simple as setting up a tent and cooking a meal. Frisbee, yoga, script killing, concerts, cultural and creative markets and other more interesting and interactive diversified “camping +” playing methods are gradually becoming the “new standard” of the camp.
Li Qiang pointed out that the playing method of camping is not prominent in the current market where supply is less than demand. However, with the increase of camps, the decline of orders and the fierce market competition, the industry began to “roll inside”. If the camp wants to continue to attract tourists, it is necessary to play method and service.
In addition to the increasing pressure of players entering the camp, it is also a question of whether the pressure of camping will gradually dissipate as the epidemic situation increases.
Meiying said that once the opening of camping is opened, it will not be closed again, and the industry will not develop backward. “Consumers’ awareness of camping has just begun to take shape. The greatest significance of camping is to arouse people’s enthusiasm for outdoor. After the epidemic is over, the heat of camping may decline, and everyone’s energy will be transferred to rock climbing, farms and other outdoor projects, and there are elements of camping behind each outdoor product. Therefore, the camping industry will become a normal way to survive, and continue to transform and upgrade.”
In the future, there is a huge imagination space for camping. Zhang Yi believes that with the economic development and the improvement of consumption level, camping, a new form of entertainment, is likely to become a sustainable method of play and a starting point of China’s tourism economy. Through the camping economy, the tourism damage caused by the obstruction of the epidemic will be transformed into a new way of stimulating consumption. “Camp tourism or camping economy is still on the rise and not saturated. In the future, camping will become two different ways of playing like long-distance tourism.”
However, despite the impact of the epidemic, camping itself has exposed many restrictive factors.
“Campsites are highly dependent on the natural environment, and the risk is several times that of home stay, which is one of its disadvantages. For example, not opening camp in winter is a common problem faced by campsites in the north.” Li Qiang said frankly. Every time the reporter searches the information of campsites around Beijing, he notes that many campsites will indicate in the business hours that they are only open in spring, summer and autumn.
Some camps are not open in winter. Photo source: public comments
In the interview, many practitioners put forward their own thoughts on the solution of Winter Camping: one way is to buy snow making machines and other equipment to create camping scenes similar to ice and snow parks, but the operation cost will be greatly increased; Another option is to bring equipment and transfer it to the south for operation in winter, but it is only applicable to camps with light asset operation.
In addition, the entire camping industry is still in a relatively early stage of barbaric growth, lack of effective regulatory measures. It can be seen from the social platform that there are many problems in the camping industry, such as unclear land nature, nonstandard camp operation, inadequate fire-fighting measures, insecurity of customers, destruction of natural environment and so on. More clear policies are needed to regulate the chaos of industrial development.
