Campers find fun in glamp life

Pursuit of outdoor recreation fuels growth in high-end tent sites, Yang Feiyue reports.

For the upcoming Labor Day holiday, Dai Zheng has already received bookings for more than 80 percent of tents at his glamping business in Shanghai. This quick turnaround is not something that Dai expected.

"The pandemic has changed the way people travel and brought us great opportunities for development," Dai says.

The longing to get back out into nature in wake of the pandemic and the pursuit of slow leisure has fueled the domestic glamping market. Businesses like Dai's have experienced a boom in booking numbers, and industry estimates predict that this will only continue to grow.

Years of working in the tourism industry has helped Dai observe the changes in tourism trends and he soon had his eyes fixed on the camping sector.

Two years ago, Dai founded Morning Glamping to provide a platform for people to socialize and pursue a leisurely outdoor life. When operations began at his first glamping site in the picturesque Bashang Grassland in Chengde city of Hebei province, it became an instant hit.

"At that time, if you wanted to go to the campsite during peak season or on weekends, you had to book two to three months in advance," Dai says.

However, Dai's business was soon severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

At first, Dai was anxious like his business counterparts in the tourism sector, but it did not take long for him to regain faith in the camping sector and find a new niche in the market.

"Because of the pandemic, people had to stay at home. Adults felt suffocated, let alone the children," Dai says.