Profitable recreation on wheels

"RV road trips have been a minor travel segment in China. In the past, RV trips to Sichuan province, Yunnan province and the Tibet autonomous region were popular. This year, most families took RV trips to the nearby regions so far, combined with outdoor activities such as cooking barbecues and fruit pickings," said Gou Zhipeng, president of Qunar.

During the Labor Day holiday in early May, a number of camping sites in suburban Beijing gained attention and were largely reserved in advance. Many people chose to take two-day-and-one-night trips and stayed in their RVs, Qunar found.

Most RVs feature beds, a kitchen with table, refrigerator, sink and a cooking stove along with a toilet, and they become more affordable options compared with staying at hotels.

China Tourism Group became the first State-owned enterprise that developed the RV business, the company said. It would continue to increase investments in the sector, and wait for the peak growth period.

"In a short time, the epidemic may help change the concept of RV among Chinese consumers, just like the surge of self-driving tours after the outbreak of SARS in 2003," said Lu Lu, general manager of the investment and asset management arm of China Tourism Group.

"Yet, China has high land costs in most areas, and the investment-return cycle of building camping sites is long, which will have a certain negative impact on the construction of more camping sites," Lu said.