Caravanning: Chinese tourists hit the road

Konstantin Abert during an RV trip to northwestern China. The German has organized RV trips to China 10 times since 2006. Provided to China Daily

China's campsites have grown from about 40 in 2010 to nearly 500 last year, the China Association of Automotive Manufacturers says.

The State Council last year announced plans to build 1,000 campsites by 2020.

During the AIC, China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corp released the book A Guide to China's Caravanning Life, which it claims is the first of its kind in the country.

Routes should be well connected since the number of campsites is small, chairman Zhang Xuewu says.

They often aren't even marked on road signs.

The group plans to expand the number of its 318 Autocamp Motels built along the 318 Highway to 30. Tourists can rent a car or RV at one campsite and return it at another.

The company is working with local partners to develop three picturesque domestic routes. One is from Sichuan province's capital, Chengdu, to the Tibet autonomous region's capital, Lhasa.

The decade-old RV sector faces roadblocks, Zhang says.

China has stricter regulations than the West about trailers.

An RV is like home, and improvements need to be made to domestic-manufacturing quality of elements such as furniture and hardware, he says.

Chinese automobile companies are joining the market, says Liu Yujiao, sales director of Chinese RV brand Livezone, which was initially launched as a caravan brand by Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.

In 2002, Great Wall Motor joined the industry as an early mover. The company foresaw China's potential after looking at Europe and the United States.