Outdoor sporting goods firms hope more hikers hit the adventure trail(2)

Last month, Liu and her friends organized a trip to a mountain in the suburbs of Beijing, which she described as an "obscure wilderness".

"We had to hire a professional camping leader to help us finish the trip, who helped us avoid situations in which we might injure ourselves. We invited friends we hadn't met for long, colleagues, neighbors and even more casual acquaintances. Hiking turns out to be more than just an outdoor activity, but also a means of enriching one's social life," she said.

According to data from Mafengwo, popular spring hiking routes for young people are mainly concentrated in mountainous regions. Some of the highly sought-after hiking destinations include Shennongjia, a mountainous national park in Hubei province, Siming Mountain in Zhejiang province, and Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui province. The "Shennongjia hike" experienced a significant increase in search volume in March.

He Wenyi, secretary-general of Peking University's China Institute for Sports Value, said that outdoor activities in China have been gaining momentum in recent years. Among traditional outdoor sports such as cycling, hiking and mountaineering, hiking attracts the largest number of participants, primarily concentrated in first-tier cities.

"Hiking is characterized by its noncompetitive nature, relatively low physical intensity, and low entry barriers. It offers certain benefits in combating suboptimal health and diseases while integrating with other types of leisure such as tourism. In the past two years, driven by the increasing focus on health due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, hiking has entered a phase of accelerated development," said He.

With growing popularity, hiking has been expanding far beyond the activity itself. Tourism, accommodations, camping, gear and attire — the sport has sparked diverse and lucrative offshoots that have captivated enthusiasts and entrepreneurs alike.

Just take hiking socks, for instance. Its market size is projected to rise to 4.37 billion yuan ($604 million) in 2023, compared to approximately 4.11 billion yuan in 2022, said research and analysis provider Bo Yan Information Consultation.

According to a report on hiking consumption trends released by e-commerce platform JD's sports sector, hiking apparel that also suits urban work-home commuting, or other gear with fashionable designs, are the main trends for 2023.