Silk Road travel boosts Lanzhou's motorhome rental and camping industry

In July, the RV town at Qianshan Xiushui Scenic Area in Puding County officially opened, offering personalized long-term rental sites. Currently, over 40 tourists reside long-term, with more than 200 having experienced summer stays. Located 2.4 km from the county seat, the town features full amenities, with each site measuring 6 meters wide and 7 meters deep, allowing for canopies, trailers, or pod units. Positive word-of-mouth via short videos has boosted its reputation, fostering a new summer retreat model.

In Delingha, tourists in converted vehicles overnight at hotel parking lots, using facilities for free. Hoteliers report revenue drops. In 2025, 7,376 new campers were registered.

Squirrel Power, founded by a former Anker executive, secured over 200 million yuan in Series A funding. The funds will support development and 2027 launch of the Evotrex-PG5 smart trailer, priced from $120,000.

Bloomberg analysts link a decline in hotel occupancy in China to the growing trend of sleeping in electric vehicles. For the week of July 6-12, average hotel occupancy was 62.3%, down 3% year-on-year. RevPAR fell to 209.6 yuan. Budget hotels saw an 8.2% drop in revenue per available room, and mid-range hotels 7.8%. Tourist numbers did not decline, but spending shifted from accommodation to camping in EVs.

A survey of 128 users shows that 58% find a camper more practical, while 42% prefer a roof tent. A camper offers low conversion costs (from a few hundred yuan), safety, and daily usability. A roof tent provides quick setup (1-3 minutes), protection from moisture and insects, but costs around 10,000 yuan and suits frequent travelers (at least 5 trips per year).

BAW has launched the 2026 Wangpai M7 camper, with both the Light Travel and Meitu editions priced at 89,800 yuan, available from March 27. The factory-built camper is road-legal with a blue plate and C1 license, features a 2,116 mm height for standard garages, and converts second-row seats into a 1.95×1.47 m bed. It includes a 6 kWh LiFePO4 battery, 3,000 W inverter, and 12V 2,400 W air conditioning, with optional solar. Power comes from a 2.0L engine with 5MT, achieving 7.8 L/100 km WLTC.