As growth in Korea's camping market slows, related corporations are posting weak results. Camping styles that require fewer related supplies, such as chabak (car camping) and glamping (camping without the need to pitch a tent), are becoming trends, and the market for direct overseas purchases through Chinese e-commerce (electronic commerce) firms such as AliExpress and Temu has expanded.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's status of campground openings and closures on the 16th, the number of campgrounds that opened from November last year to October this year was 371. That was down 20.4% from the same period a year earlier (466). It was down 28% from two years earlier (515). Meanwhile, the number of campgrounds that closed rose 13%, from 54 between November 2022 and October 2023 to 61 in the same period this year.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's "camping user status survey," when overseas travel was banned during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people took up camping, and the size of camping consumption grew from 5.2 trillion won in 2022 to 6.9 trillion won in 2023. However, it has been on the decline in the endemic phase.
As camping styles such as chabak and glamping, which require fewer related supplies, gained popularity, demand for gear fell. The shift in demand for gear purchases to overseas direct-purchase platforms such as Ali and Temu also had a negative impact. According to the National Data Office (formerly Statistics Korea), overseas direct-purchase transaction value reached 7.9583 trillion won in 2024, up 19% from a year earlier. For example, camping tables made by the domestic camping industry were selling from the 30,000-won range to the 100,000-won range, but similar products sell on Temu for around 15,000 won. Among enthusiasts, affordable gear that does not significantly compromise on functionality spreads by word of mouth.
Accordingly, domestic camping gear corporations are also struggling. Kovea is a brand that has led the domestic camping and outdoor gear market. It started with gas burners and expanded into various products such as tents and lanterns. However, according to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system, as of last year, sales were 20.23284 billion won, down 2.4% from 20.72358 billion won in 2023, the previous year. Operating loss narrowed from 1.6 billion won to 900 million won, but net loss in the current period inched up from 2.6 billion won to 2.7 billion won. The prevailing view is that, although the company is trying to improve profitability through steady new product launches and camping festivals, the overall market slump is limiting the effect.
Helinox is an outdoor gear specialist corporation that sells camping furniture and tents. After Chief Executive La Je-geon of Dong-A Aluminum launched the brand in 2011, it was established as a corporation in 2013. It succeeded with a luxury marketing strategy in the camping industry with high-priced, ultralight equipment. Helinox posted sales of 77 billion won and operating profit of 7.8 billion won in 2022. However, sales fell to 41.2 billion won in 2024, halving in two years. In the same period, it turned to losses, recording an operating loss of 800 million won and a net loss of 2.7 billion won.
Cargo Container is a new brand launched in 2022. Sales rose from 2.8 billion won in 2022 to 6.4 billion won in 2023, more than doubling. It posted 7.2 billion won in 2024, with growth slowing.
Lee Jong-woo, a professor in the business administration department at Ajou University, said, "During COVID-19, camping demand surged, but it has since dispersed to regional festivals and overseas travel," and added, "Most of the current camping population consists of enthusiasts." Lee said, "The situation has become more difficult as inexpensive gear comes in through overseas direct-purchase platforms such as those in China," and added, "There is stable demand, but domestic corporations are struggling to find a clear breakthrough."