Camping boosts Shanxi's consumption market

Since 2021, the camping market in North China's Shanxi province has experienced explosive growth, with camping activities becoming increasingly popular among the public. 

This trend has served as a powerful engine for the consumption market, driving sales of camping-related products and generating benefits for industries such as catering, supermarkets, automobiles and real estate. The camping economy is unleashing new vitality.

Tourists camp by a river. [Photo/Shanxi Economic Daily]

Recently, the State Council issued a document explicitly encouraging localities to launch various types of characteristic tourism products and supporting the development of new business formats such as cruise and yacht tourism, caravan camping, and low-altitude flights. By 2025, it is estimated that China's camping market will reach 248.32 billion yuan ($34.58 billion), driving a market worth 1.44 trillion yuan.

Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, currently boasts over 400 parks, including more than 30 forest parks, ranking among the top major cities in China in terms of park numbers. This provides a unique advantage for developing the camping economy. 

Building on this foundation, operators in Shanxi should innovate business models and develop diversified consumption scenarios, such as "camping & concerts", "camping & barbecues", and "camping & study tours", to achieve year-round operation. At the same time, it is crucial to create brand IPs and cultivate consumers' cross-season consumption habits through policy guidance and market promotion.

In the future, by integrating local advantageous resources, innovating camping operation models, and upgrading tourist experiences, the camping economy will undoubtedly inject new vitality into the development of Shanxi's cultural and tourism industry.