Camping trend goes wild, with room to grow

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.