More than 90 percent of holiday travelers across China during the National Day holiday are expected to travel by road, with a growing number of consumers choosing the autonomy and adventure of a recreational vehicle (RV).
Ahead of the seven-day holiday, Ms. Chen and her family of three rented an RV in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province.
The family had previously rented RVs for short trips around eastern China, but they plan to take a longer adventure to the country's northwest during the National Day holiday.
"For the last two or three years, we have enjoyed traveling around in an RV. There's more freedom, and we don't have to rush for hotel check-out. The family eats and sleeps in the vehicle, and it's more private. For travel with the elderly and children, it is far more relaxing," Ms. Chen said.
The manager of the RV rental agency said that the typical RV renter used to be a long-distance traveler aged 55 to 65, but this year the number of younger customers in their thirties had shot up.
"Demand for domestic long-distance and one-way drop-off rentals has clearly risen. Customers are shifting from nearby city camping to long-distance travel across the country, and the average rental period has risen to seven days. Our on-site inventory is about 100 vehicles, which are basically fully booked this holiday," said manager Huang Lichao.
The increasing number of RV renters, and their changing demographic, is also reflected in a boom in RV sales.
At an RV showroom in Changzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, younger buyers are now a key driver of sales.
"We bought the vehicle for 638,000 yuan (about 95,160 U.S. dollars)," said Mr. Wu, who was picking up a new vehicle that he and his partner Ms Chen were looking forward to taking out on the road.
"We plan to visit Yunnan during the National Day holiday and Hainan during the Spring Festival," said Ms. Chen.
Store managers report that RV sales have grown significantly this year, with new energy models proving especially popular. "Our overall sales are up nearly 30 percent from last year, and new energy models account for about 25 percent of our total sales," said Jiang Chao, regional sales manager for a Chinese RV brand.
Data from the RV Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that in 2025, sales of self-propelled RVs exceeded 20,000 for the first time in China. In the first half of this year, cumulative registrations topped 12,000, up 32.6 percent year on year, with 18.4 percent of those for electric RVs.
Industry insiders predict that China's growing tourism market will drive RV sales for the whole of 2026 to a new high.
RV rentals, sales surge during National Day holiday as young families hit road
