Outdoor sports are developing rapidly.
Policy recommendations for development.
Mountaineering and outdoor sports, as a new type of activity integrating sports, leisure, entertainment, and sightseeing, have been widely accepted and embraced by the general public and enterprises in Shanghai in recent years. However, with the rapid development of these activities, issues such as unclear management oversight, lagging regulations, frequent accidents, and numerous hidden dangers have drawn widespread attention from all sectors of society. How to promote the orderly development of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai is a matter worthy of deep consideration.
Mountaineering and outdoor sports originated in the UK, initially as a “wilderness survival” component of military training, requiring participants to rely on their own efforts in complex terrains such as remote mountains, jungles, deserts, plateaus, and isolated islands to secure the basic means and methods necessary for survival. Domestically, it is generally understood that mountaineering and outdoor sports refer to a range of activities conducted in natural outdoor settings for fitness, leisure, entertainment, and sightseeing. These include various forms and levels of activities, thus closely aligning with the category of sports. In China, mountaineering and outdoor sports are commonly classified as recreational sports, but they should not be equated with independent travel.
Independent travel is generally understood domestically as arranging one’s own itinerary, duration, and handling all aspects of travel such as clothing, food, accommodation, and transportation without a guide or tour leader, independently undertaking and completing the desired travel activities.
Currently, terms used by domestic media or academia such as outdoor self-guided tours, adventure travel, backpackers, and travel buddies overlap or contain each other in meaning, but none are legal concepts, and current laws and regulations provide no clear definitions for such phenomena.
Judging from the current state of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai, the basic characteristics are as follows: first, the main organizational forms are outdoor clubs, online forum gatherings, or spontaneous meetups; second, the participating groups are large and the activities diverse; third, the casual organization and recruitment pose significant safety risks and high-risk factors.
With the growing leisure, fitness, and travel demands of the public, along with the further development of mountaineering and outdoor sports, Shanghai’s engagement in these activities has spanned over a decade. The participant base has expanded from a small group of fashion-seeking curious individuals to nearly a million people traveling annually in recent years. The types of activities have evolved from simple camping and cookouts to now include hiking treks, rock climbing and rappelling, expansion training, skiing, rafting, and mountain expeditions. Organizers have also transitioned from spontaneous gatherings to nearly a hundred clubs, climbing venues, and training bases. Although the sport enjoys great popularity in Shanghai, the number of safety incidents has been on the rise. According to incomplete statistics, from 2006 to 2012, there were 12 major safety incidents involving outdoor travelers in Shanghai, resulting in nine fatalities. Incidents such as teams getting into trouble in Huangshan, Siguniang Mountain, and Sansha required massive government search and rescue efforts, drawing high public attention to Shanghai’s outdoor enthusiasts.
The existing problems and causes of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai include: a sharp increase in participants with weak safety awareness, lack of outdoor knowledge, and blind following; low entry barriers for organizations, limited professional skills among organizers, and casual trip planning; absence of industry-related laws and regulations; lack of systematic safeguards and ineffective supervision for trips.
In terms of the safety of mountaineering and outdoor sports, any rescue after an accident is passive and secondary. More importantly, prevention before the trip is key. Safety rescue in mountaineering and outdoor sports has gradually become a frequent emergency response issue for governments in areas with high accident rates. Considering the development trends and current state of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai, implementing policy measures to strengthen management in this industry is of great significance: to ensure the safety of participants’ lives and property; to guarantee the rational and public-interest use of social resources and public finances; to improve the rescue system for mountaineering, outdoor sports, and independent travel, enhancing rescue efficiency; and to guide the standardized, healthy, and orderly development of mountaineering and outdoor sports and related activities in Shanghai.
The Shanghai Mountaineering Association was established in January 2008. Approved by the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau and registered with the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Social Organizations, it is a municipal-level professional organization specializing in the management of outdoor sports such as mountaineering, rock climbing, and expansion training. In 2011, it was rated as a 4A-level organization by the China Social Organization Evaluation. The association has been committed to guiding, regulating, and serving the mountaineering and outdoor sports industry in Shanghai through efforts in outdoor knowledge dissemination, professional training, organizing large-scale outdoor events, and leading outdoor club registration. It has accumulated considerable experience and conditions in managing mountaineering and outdoor sports.
As a major source of mountaineering and outdoor sports participants in China, Shanghai should take the following three measures based on the current industry status and development trends:
First, improve the source management system for mountaineering and outdoor sports, establish entry thresholds and a management system for organizers, clarify their legal status and responsibilities, and guide and promote the standardized, organized, and lawful conduct of these activities.
Second, enhance the promotion of outdoor risks and safety education, improve public awareness and risk response capabilities regarding mountaineering and outdoor sports, and strengthen business guidance for operating institutions and professional training for practitioners.
Third, within the scope of local regulations and policy authority, promptly clarify the management oversight and related measures for mountaineering and outdoor sports. This can be achieved by formulating regulatory documents or local standards. Implement a departure registration system for mountaineering, outdoor sports, and related self-guided travel activities; enforce an outdoor guide leader system for outdoor travel groups; and establish a categorized insurance system for mountaineering and outdoor sports.
Only by addressing the industry’s current state through corresponding policies can we encourage the mountaineering and outdoor sports industry in Shanghai to operate and manage according to the law, achieving standardized, healthy, and orderly development.
Policy recommendations for development.
Mountaineering and outdoor sports, as a new type of activity integrating sports, leisure, entertainment, and sightseeing, have been widely accepted and embraced by the general public and enterprises in Shanghai in recent years. However, with the rapid development of these activities, issues such as unclear management oversight, lagging regulations, frequent accidents, and numerous hidden dangers have drawn widespread attention from all sectors of society. How to promote the orderly development of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai is a matter worthy of deep consideration.
Mountaineering and outdoor sports originated in the UK, initially as a “wilderness survival” component of military training, requiring participants to rely on their own efforts in complex terrains such as remote mountains, jungles, deserts, plateaus, and isolated islands to secure the basic means and methods necessary for survival. Domestically, it is generally understood that mountaineering and outdoor sports refer to a range of activities conducted in natural outdoor settings for fitness, leisure, entertainment, and sightseeing. These include various forms and levels of activities, thus closely aligning with the category of sports. In China, mountaineering and outdoor sports are commonly classified as recreational sports, but they should not be equated with independent travel.
Independent travel is generally understood domestically as arranging one’s own itinerary, duration, and handling all aspects of travel such as clothing, food, accommodation, and transportation without a guide or tour leader, independently undertaking and completing the desired travel activities.
Currently, terms used by domestic media or academia such as outdoor self-guided tours, adventure travel, backpackers, and travel buddies overlap or contain each other in meaning, but none are legal concepts, and current laws and regulations provide no clear definitions for such phenomena.
Judging from the current state of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai, the basic characteristics are as follows: first, the main organizational forms are outdoor clubs, online forum gatherings, or spontaneous meetups; second, the participating groups are large and the activities diverse; third, the casual organization and recruitment pose significant safety risks and high-risk factors.
With the growing leisure, fitness, and travel demands of the public, along with the further development of mountaineering and outdoor sports, Shanghai’s engagement in these activities has spanned over a decade. The participant base has expanded from a small group of fashion-seeking curious individuals to nearly a million people traveling annually in recent years. The types of activities have evolved from simple camping and cookouts to now include hiking treks, rock climbing and rappelling, expansion training, skiing, rafting, and mountain expeditions. Organizers have also transitioned from spontaneous gatherings to nearly a hundred clubs, climbing venues, and training bases. Although the sport enjoys great popularity in Shanghai, the number of safety incidents has been on the rise. According to incomplete statistics, from 2006 to 2012, there were 12 major safety incidents involving outdoor travelers in Shanghai, resulting in nine fatalities. Incidents such as teams getting into trouble in Huangshan, Siguniang Mountain, and Sansha required massive government search and rescue efforts, drawing high public attention to Shanghai’s outdoor enthusiasts.
The existing problems and causes of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai include: a sharp increase in participants with weak safety awareness, lack of outdoor knowledge, and blind following; low entry barriers for organizations, limited professional skills among organizers, and casual trip planning; absence of industry-related laws and regulations; lack of systematic safeguards and ineffective supervision for trips.
In terms of the safety of mountaineering and outdoor sports, any rescue after an accident is passive and secondary. More importantly, prevention before the trip is key. Safety rescue in mountaineering and outdoor sports has gradually become a frequent emergency response issue for governments in areas with high accident rates. Considering the development trends and current state of mountaineering and outdoor sports in Shanghai, implementing policy measures to strengthen management in this industry is of great significance: to ensure the safety of participants’ lives and property; to guarantee the rational and public-interest use of social resources and public finances; to improve the rescue system for mountaineering, outdoor sports, and independent travel, enhancing rescue efficiency; and to guide the standardized, healthy, and orderly development of mountaineering and outdoor sports and related activities in Shanghai.
The Shanghai Mountaineering Association was established in January 2008. Approved by the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau and registered with the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Social Organizations, it is a municipal-level professional organization specializing in the management of outdoor sports such as mountaineering, rock climbing, and expansion training. In 2011, it was rated as a 4A-level organization by the China Social Organization Evaluation. The association has been committed to guiding, regulating, and serving the mountaineering and outdoor sports industry in Shanghai through efforts in outdoor knowledge dissemination, professional training, organizing large-scale outdoor events, and leading outdoor club registration. It has accumulated considerable experience and conditions in managing mountaineering and outdoor sports.
As a major source of mountaineering and outdoor sports participants in China, Shanghai should take the following three measures based on the current industry status and development trends:
First, improve the source management system for mountaineering and outdoor sports, establish entry thresholds and a management system for organizers, clarify their legal status and responsibilities, and guide and promote the standardized, organized, and lawful conduct of these activities.
Second, enhance the promotion of outdoor risks and safety education, improve public awareness and risk response capabilities regarding mountaineering and outdoor sports, and strengthen business guidance for operating institutions and professional training for practitioners.
Third, within the scope of local regulations and policy authority, promptly clarify the management oversight and related measures for mountaineering and outdoor sports. This can be achieved by formulating regulatory documents or local standards. Implement a departure registration system for mountaineering, outdoor sports, and related self-guided travel activities; enforce an outdoor guide leader system for outdoor travel groups; and establish a categorized insurance system for mountaineering and outdoor sports.
Only by addressing the industry’s current state through corresponding policies can we encourage the mountaineering and outdoor sports industry in Shanghai to operate and manage according to the law, achieving standardized, healthy, and orderly development.