Beijing to host global camping, caravanning rally

The 80th Federation Internationale de Camping et de Caravanning (FICC) rally will be held from May 30 to June 8 in northwest Beijing, the organizing committee has announced.

The event, which doubles as the 1st China camping &caravanning rally, will be held at a purpose-built campsite by the side of Jinniu Lake in Yanqing, close to the tourist attractions of the Badaling Great Wall and Longqing Gorge, a press conference heard on Wednesday.

Construction work on the Yanqing Longwan International Motor-caravanning Campsite will be completed in April and the facility will enter trial operation on May 1, Shang Hui, the organizing committee's spokeswoman, said.

A variety of activities have been arranged for the 10-day occasion, including celebrations of the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat festival, a parade of RVs, a family music life festival, and tours of Yanqing via water, land and air-borne vehicles.

As China's economy grows, more households own cars and the pattern of tourism is changing. The potential for camping and caravanning is great.

The FICC was set up in 1933 in Britain with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Its annual rally is one of the most important gatherings of campers and caravan fans in the world. In 2010, China bid successfully to host the event for the first time.