Homing in on the great outdoors

From Zha's perspective, to seize the opportunity for summer leisure tourism, it must attract more visitors by building summer apartments and encouraging more locals to open homestays.

RV tourism, on the other hand, is increasingly favored, and its market is gradually expanding. The standardized and scaled construction of RV campsites requires attention from local governments interested in developing integrated tourism. RV campsite construction in provinces such as Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Zhejiang is relatively mature.

"In 2017, when we traveled by RV to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province, we couldn't find campsites and were forced to stay in parking lots, which was awkward and chaotic. Now, the local government not only emphasizes RV campsite construction but also strictly regulates RV parking and campsite management. The northwest region is just starting in this regard." Zha says.

Yang says: "The unique natural geographical environment and climate of Longde cannot be replicated. I hope the local government will develop this area into a summer resort that more people from the south will visit."

The Liupan Mountains were the last mountains crossed by the Red Army during the Long March (1934-36), so the area is rich in Red (revolutionary themes) Tourism resources. Guyuan city is an important international city on the ancient Silk Road, with a rich historical and cultural heritage.

Zhang Shuai, of the business development department of the China Tourism Association, states that the construction of RV summer campsites in the Liupan Mountains area can not only fully utilize its unique climate advantages to develop high-end summer leisure tourism, improve the living environment and increase incomes for the residents in the old revolutionary base, but also attract more tourists to explore its diverse cultural and tourism resources.

Guyuan has the potential to be comparable to Hainan's island-wide RV campsites, Zhang adds.