Chinese tourists are discovering their own country in RVs as avoiding crowds becomes the norm
- RV travel has become so popular in China that it can be very difficult to rent one in cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai
- A network of RV parks has sprung up around the nation, while hotel openings put on hold due to Covid-19 are now going ahead, helping to satisfy an eager market
With most international borders having been closed for the best part of 2020, mainland Chinese tourists have been exploring their own country instead. A small but growing number have been taking the road less travelled, driving rented or their own recreational vehicles (RVs).
“We took in the Great Wall, Miaofeng Mountain and the Fragrant Hills,” says Zhou Ziyan who, for around 900 yuan (US$140) a day, booked an RV in October.
The Beijinger and her boyfriend spent three days exploring beyond the capital city limits. “Booking hotels is troublesome. I enjoy the feeling of camping. We could just leave the vehicle and enjoy the starry nights whenever we wanted.” Wild camping is legal in the mainland, as long as no fires are lit.
Such freedom is increasingly appealing to mainland Chinese in the Covid-19 era: according to figures from data platform Qichacha, 849 companies related to RV rental were established in China in the second quarter of 2020, a 36 per cent year-on-year increase.
A major beneficiary has been the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), which both makes RVs and rents them out, through the RV2Go booking platform. The state-owned enterprise claims that, when it comes to RVs, it has 50 per cent of the manufacturing market and 70 per cent of the rental market in China. The company says rental income has risen 510 per cent this year from last, and it has introduced new routes to appeal to customers.