CAMPING IN CHINA

CASE - A EUROPEAN-CHINESE PROJECT:
CAMPING IN CHINA
- An invitation to all camping associations, organizations, related companies,
and industries to take part in the exciting development and building up of the future
leisure life activities for Chinese citizens and foreign tourists.
Introduction
CASE – EU-China Matchmaking for Camping Facilities and
Services is a project with the aims of:
- establishing a basis for a future business co-operation
between European and Chinese camping organizations,
- introducing European camping related technologies and
standards to China.
Europe has a long-term experience in developing camping
facilities, services, and camping industry. Through CASE,
Chinese camping community will adopt European knowhow for the establishment of a new dimension in Chinese
leisure life: Camping.
In this sense CASE will open a new business sector and a
new market in China for European industry and Chinese investors, and strengthen mutual trade and investment flows
between Europe and China in all camping related sectors.
This brochure is an introduction to this great project that
surely in a rather short time will give inexperienced leisure
time opportunities for Chinese families - and for foreigners
who want to explore the great Chinese country.
The project is also an opening to a new world of wide
range possibilities for both European and Chinese business
life, and the brochure is an invitation to any related industrial or commercial company to take an active part in the
project.
The CASE partner group
The CASE partnership involves 4 associations:
- BVCD: The German Federal Association of Camping
Economy
- BPV: Consulting and Planning of Transport in Germany
- BAMSA: Beijing Automotive & Motor Sports Association
- DCB: The Danish Camping Board
Germany is in any aspect the biggest camping country in
Europe, and BVCD, representing a great part of German
campsites, has originally taken the initiative of this EUfunded project together with the BPV that has already been
involved in Chinese road constructing projects.
The Chinese partner, BAMSA, was asked by the Municipal
Government to start planning for developing camping
ser­vices in Beijing, first of all to support the organization
of the Olympic Games, but secondly to meet the future
demand for camping services.
China has a fast developing economy that without any
doubt will cause an increasing demand for transport and
leisure life, and as auto travellers really are a fundamental
base for the camping market, it seems quite obvious why
BAMSA is a natural participant in the project of establishing
a model for future camping services in the whole country
as well as forming a market strategy for camping related
business.
The DCB – the long term experienced “umbrella organisation” representing all campsites and camping associations
in Denmark– has accepted the invitation from BVCD to join
the CASE programme.
DCB is responsible for innovation and development of the
unique 5-star Camping Classification System in Denmark
and Scandinavia.
These 4 associations have decided to carry out the CASE
project in accordance with Chinese tourism policy and stra­
tegy for establishing camping services in China.
In order to fulfil the obligations of CASE the best European
experience, technologies and standards will be at the disposal of the project.
The aim is that in the long run the project will support the
creation of a wide spectrum of business opportunities,
especially in camping related production and trade.
Development of camping capacity
Preparations have already been made by the Chinese Federation of Camping and Caravan (CFCC) for the development of camping in the whole nation over a period of 5
years, and this includes a so called “3-circle route” and
a ”2- route” with several large scale and fully equipped
campsites:
The “3-circle”: Beijing - Yangtze River Delta – Pearl River
Delta,
The “2-routes”: 1. Beijing – Shenzhen, 2. Xian – Urumchi
The campsites will be built along the routes following the
best international standards, and due to the needs of the
2008 Olympic Games the first official Chinese campsites
will be established in the Beijing area. – So the above mentioned model for future campsite services will be built here.
Target Groups
Though camping is at a very early stage there are already
well-defined interest groups – in the CASE project referred
to as “Target Groups”.
There are in all 10 Target Groups, the first 4 being directly
“involved” in the campsite:
- Car owners (potential camping tourists)
- Architects, land use planners, and construction companies
- Potential Chinese camping operators
- Camping and outdoor clubs
The other six are either manufacturers or traders of caravans/camping equipment, car travel or leasing companies,
IT commerce groups, and people living around the possible
campsite areas.
The last Target Group: “People living around - -“ will feel the
influence of a campsite in a quite different way: The commercial life in the surroundings is going to flourish because
camping guests will appear in the shops and at the markets.
CASE Forum
A Camping Co-operation Forum will be established to
coordinate the works during and beyond the 2 year period
of CASE. The forum will involve about 60 European and 60
Chinese organisations that are already active in the camping related fields.
This forum shall also secure a long-term EU-China co-operation around the camping project.
For the exchange of experience and discussions of potential
co-operation the members must be interested in taking
part in the work in China and/or Europe (e.g. authorities,
camping service operators, architects, land use planners,
construction companies, camp equipment providers, caravan and mobile home providers/ manufacturers etc.).
Matchmaking events and activities
2 matchmaking seminars are planned for the members of
the so called Target Groups.
A. Seminar I - in Europe, Nov. 27th – Dec. 03rd 2006
The major activities for about 60 European and 24 Chinese
participating companies will be “face-to-face” meetings
with European partners, visits to camping related industries,
visits to German and Danish campsites, and a number of
important ad hoc discussions among the delegates. The
Chinese companies will be offered technical visits to selected European camping business companies.
The Chinese delegation will also get a presentation of European practices (experience, techno-logies, standards on
location) concerning planning, establishing, and operating
of camping services.
The European experts connected to the programme will be
present and available during the whole seminar.
B. Seminar II - China, Oct. 15th – 21st 2007
The 2nd seminar is going to take place in Beijing.
This time more than 60 Chinese and about 40 European
companies are supposed to be present.
Like Seminar I: A new round of “face-to-face” meetings
and technical visits will be arranged.
According to the modern European standards for campsite
establishment a complete preparation for the model campsite in Beijing will be introduced to the group.
At this stage partnership agreements among the participating companies should be organized and arranged.
This is also the stage where future marketing procedure
for the Chinese camping should be discussed and prepared
concerning both domestic and foreign tourism.
Capacity building:
A. Camping Training Courses
The CASE programme includes training courses to take
place after Seminar 2.
During Seminar I different needs for training courses will
be defined and determined, and Chinese officials and professionals – about 60 persons – will be selected for a varied
training programme.
Major criteria for participation in training courses:
- Working personnel in China in camping related fields
(staff of municipal sports departments, architects, land use
planners, potential service operators, personnel in construction companies etc.)
- Interest in learning European good practices and operating camping infrastructure.
Possible topics: The camp warden’s daily routines and
responsibility fields, service to the guests, cleaning of area
and facilities, administrative responsibility, personnel management.
Training courses for planning and establishing campsites
will be set up ad hoc to meet the necessities and wishes of
architects, land use planners, engineers, or contractors.
B. Planning and advising of model campsite
The basis for projecting and designing of a campsite will be
the highest and well-experienced European classification
standards – reasonably adapted to Chinese conditions and
requirements.
Camping is still at the initiating stage, and the future
camper family will possess no camping equipment of their
own. For some time a rental capacity for staying overnight
is required, but a change into mobile camper families with
their own tents, caravans, or motor homes must be expected within less than 10 years – a development to be
foreseen at the planning stage!
The main task is to advise the planners how to establish the
model campsite for which certain facts and specifications
about the camping field must be available.
A first step will be the capacity building report containing proposals of the main infrastructure: This report is a
complete campsite plan including explanations of single
elements and details.
General comments
China is at the beginning of new leisure life style in which
Nature will get a high priority especially among people
living in the cities; - they will choose fresh, unpolluted air,
woods, mountains – far away from working life and industrial areas and pollution.
Others (mostly families with children) will enjoy their holidays in activity-/holiday centres or amusement parks where
parents can relax together with their children.
Camping must meet with different expectations from the
camping guests: Some people want luxury, others will go
for simple sites and quietness, and this should be remembered by the all campsite planners: Camping has to show
a great variety to the guests and offer something for every
taste!
And it is to be remembered, too that camping life creates a
new equal and social life among people that makes titles or
employment status quite unimportant!
CASE Website
Since June 20th 2006 CASE website has been operating in
an English version, and a Chinese version is due to start in
July 2006:
http://www.case-project.com/index.htm
This site will continuously be updated with the latest information about the CASE project.
Contact Person in Europe
Dr. Gunter Riechey
BVCD
Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 86, 10589 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 33778320, Fax: +49 30 33778321
E-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected]
Contact Person in China
Mr. Wen Zhang
Beijing Auto & Motor Sport Association
1 Laoshan Road, Beijing, China
Phone: +86 10 88912374, Fax: +86 10 68874519
E-mail: [email protected]