In the past five years, the trend of self-driving travel among residents in Shandong has grown stronger year after year. During holidays such as May Day and National Day, as well as weekends, roads leading from cities like Jinan and Qingdao to suburban scenic spots have become congested. This "explosive" growth in private car travel reveals huge market potential.
At the same time, there is currently a clear lack of supporting projects for self-driving travel. In 2010, due to the absence of any internationally standardised auto campsites in Shandong, the province introduced the "Shandong Self-Driving Tourism Master Plan", putting the construction of internationally standardised auto camps on the agenda.
In response to the family vacation characteristics of auto campsite projects, in 2014, the Shandong Tourism Industry Association selected 10 representative communities across the province to establish service outlets for vacation tourism products such as self-driving tours, RV travel, and camping resort vacations. These will be tailored for self-driving member families. The service outlets will promote the latest tourism policies and event information, accept registrations for camping resort vacations, and provide follow-up services for campsite stays.
According to reports, there are currently five camping projects under preparation in Shandong Province, gradually forming a province-wide chain cluster and networked operation model for campsites. This will organically integrate self-driving travel with rural tourism, bring a new model of vacation, and drive the comprehensive development of related tourism sectors.
The Shandong Auto Tourism Branch under the Shandong Tourism Industry Association plans to closely collaborate with auto 4S shops, tourist attractions, local self-driving organisations, auto clubs, car enthusiast groups, major auto media, and self-driving travel enthusiasts to jointly organise year-round self-driving activities.