Personalized and flexible self-drive travel has become a favored way to explore for many tourism enthusiasts. It allows travelers to enjoy their own private space while taking in the scenery along the way, free from the constraints of group tours and offering greater freedom of movement. For this reason, the Self-Drive and Camping Tourism Branch of the Yunnan Tourism Industry Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch") has initiated the construction of self-drive tourism workstations in 16 prefectures and cities. The establishment of these workstations is of great interest to both self-drive clubs and tourists: for clubs, the hope is to collaborate and support one another through the workstations; for tourists, the quality of service provided by the workstations is particularly crucial.
Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch
In the first quarter, workstations in Xishuangbanna and Dali will be put into use
The Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch launched the construction of self-drive tourism workstations across Yunnan’s 16 prefectures and cities at the end of last year, with Lijiang, Dali, Xishuangbanna, and Nujiang selected as the first pilot sites. According to Zhang Fan, deputy secretary-general of the branch, the workstations will play an important role in promoting premium self-drive routes, constructing self-drive campsites, and providing consultation and rescue services for self-drive tourists.
Issues such as planning self-drive routes and arranging accommodation, dining, and entertainment have always been somewhat troublesome. If there were a dedicated organization that could offer advice and provide corresponding support for self-drive tourists, it would greatly facilitate road trips. Zhang Fan told reporters that the self-drive tourism workstations currently under preparation are just such an organization designed to make travel easier for self-drive tourists. However, it will still take some time before the workstations are officially operational—all are currently in the planning stages and seeking input from relevant local departments. The fastest-progressing projects are those in Xishuangbanna and Dali, which are expected to be put into use successively in the first quarter of this year. Workstations in other prefectures and cities will also be completed and launched progressively throughout the year.
Self-drive stations: Free consultations, discounted room bookings, and emergency rescue services
Zhang Fan explained that tourists can receive free consultations at self-drive stations regarding dining, accommodation, transportation, as well as local characteristics and folk culture at their destinations. In the future, tourists will be able to seek advice through three methods: in-person counter consultations, phone consultations, and online inquiries. Initially, tourists can visit local self-drive workstations for face-to-face consultations. As the stations’ functions are gradually enhanced, hotline numbers will be launched, allowing tourists to call for advice. Efforts will also be made within the year to enable access to information via the official website of the Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch from various locations, so tourists can learn about their destinations in advance of their trips.
The self-drive workstations will coordinate with relevant departments to offer tourists discounts on accommodations and travel arrangements. Zhang Fan said the workstations will partner with local tourism authorities, seeking their input to recommend reputable businesses to collaborate with the stations. Additionally, if self-drive tourists encounter issues such as car breakdowns or getting lost en route, they can contact the local workstation, which will coordinate with relevant departments to help resolve the problems.
Creating premium routes and offering "fly-drive" options for out-of-town tourists
According to Zhang Fan, one of the main tasks of the self-drive tourism workstations is to explore local self-drive tourism resources and gradually develop premium routes, while also assisting prefectures and cities in interconnecting, cross-selling, and mutually promoting self-drive tourism products. The Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch will design premium self-drive routes within Yunnan tailored to weekends, short holidays, golden weeks, and different tourist groups. In addition, based on local conditions, plans will be made for the development of self-drive campsites. These campsites will come in three types: tent campsites, RV campsites, and integrated campsites offering accommodation, dining, travel, shopping, and entertainment—each location will plan its campsite development according to actual circumstances.
Many self-drive tourists from neighboring provinces and cities such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Guangxi visit Yunnan, with even more coming from farther regions like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. To facilitate "fly-drive" options for out-of-town tourists, the Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch will establish contact with local self-drive associations to seek cooperative models, enabling tourists to sign up through associations in their home regions and then arrange "fly-drive" services through inter-association coordination. However, tourists from other provinces will need to have their personal credit verified before receiving assistance at the workstations.
Credit evaluations will apply to both out-of-town tourists and members. The Provincial Tourism Association Self-Drive Camping Branch will openly recruit individual members, who will subsequently undergo gradual credit assessments. Members will enjoy local preferential policies and access to member benefits such as participation in local festivals. The branch will also negotiate with local tourism authorities and scenic spots to secure discounts for members. Currently, the recruitment of individual members is in preparation, and in the future, members will be able to sign up for activities via the branch’s official website.
Self-drive clubs are a great thing—we should support each other
Regarding the establishment of the self-drive tourism workstations, Shen Jin, manager of the Kunming Ailei Self-Drive Club, said: “We read about this in the newspaper before. Establishing self-drive tourism workstations is very helpful for travel agencies, tourists, and clubs alike—it’s definitely a good thing for our work. The workstations can provide route references, accommodation and dining arrangements, leisure and entertainment services for self-drive trips, and also assist with other issues that may arise during travel. These are all very practical and can reduce the hassle of traveling, especially for tourists from other provinces who are unfamiliar with their destinations. The workstations can offer reliable services.”
Shen Jin suggested that from the perspective of self-drive clubs, it would be beneficial to receive support in terms of attracting customers through the workstations—gathering individual travelers, for example. For self-drive tourists, both the club and the workstation can provide information and consulting services; for fly-drive tourists, the club can offer vehicles, tour leaders, or other assistance. Moreover, the relationship between self-drive workstations and clubs should be mutually supportive. Once the workstations are established, collaboration will be considered. On one hand, the workstations could bring individual travelers to the clubs, which would then provide car rental and tour guide services; on the other hand, the clubs could also offer support in the early stages of the workstations’ establishment—for instance, providing promotional discounts during the initial rollout of the workstations.
Only if self-drive tourists are well served will we be satisfied
Reporters randomly interviewed several netizens online. Although they were initially unaware of the self-drive tourism workstations, after learning a bit about them, they all expressed interest. Netizen “cafe_copy” said that dining, accommodation, and leisure and entertainment are their biggest concerns, as outsiders don’t know what the local options are like. If the workstations can provide good services in these areas, it would be very convenient.
Another netizen, “Wandering Cat,” who considers herself a seasoned traveler, believes that “from the perspective of out-of-town tourists, the most desired help from the workstations would be route maps—such as maps marking scenic spots. Beyond that, if the workstations could recommend affordable and high-quality car rental companies, it would save a lot of trouble during the trip. Of course, having a group of highly qualified driver-guides would be even better. Generally, I don’t overthink my travels, but if the self-drive tourism workstations could arrange self-drive routes and organize dining, lodging, and entertainment, that would be great—but the quality of the route designs and services matters. If these aspects are well done, tourists will naturally appreciate the convenience.”