Camping gains popularity in South China's Hainan

In a coastal park adorned with campsites and recreational vehicles, jubilant tourists engaged in lively conversations as they marveled at the breathtaking sunset over the shimmering sea.

"It's delightful to listen to the soothing sound of the waves while enjoying the sunset," said a woman surnamed Cheng who was camping in the park located in the western part of Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan province. "Spending some quality time with the kids here is very relaxing."

The camping industry is experiencing a remarkable surge in China, with more than 70,000 camping-related companies set up in the country, according to Qichacha, a platform offering information on companies in the country.

According to the online travel agency Trip.com Group, in the tropical island province of Hainan alone, orders for camping and the number of camping sites available on their platform have grown significantly.

During the Spring Festival holiday this year, the BMD Camp park in Haikou recorded about 35,000 tourist trips, and during the May Day holiday, the site saw nearly 7,000 tourist trips, said Zhang Shuyan, who is in charge of the BMD Camp project. He added that approximately 1,000 tourists visit the site every weekend.

Chen Xiaohui, a resident of Hainan, considers the BMD Camp park an absolute must-visit spot.

"I just attended a camping activity attended by 35 people over the weekend at the BMD Camp," Chen said. "We took all kinds of desserts there, met old friends and made new ones."

While enjoying themselves, the tourists were also highly conscious of environmental protection. They sorted their garbage and deposited it in the designated areas. Last month, the Hainan government launched a campaign for "spotless camping," encouraging tourists to protect the environment while camping.

"Hainan has unique advantages owing to its natural resources and scenic beauty, which makes it a nice place for developing camping tourism," said Wang Jiansheng, head of the Hainan Tourism Development Research Association.

The island province aims to become an international tourism and consumption center by 2025, and a globally influential tourism and consumption destination by 2035.

Wang suggested enhancing guidance, improving tourism facilities and strengthening innovation to boost the development of the camping tourism sector in Hainan.