Booming business: More Singaporeans seen pitching tents at camping sites

Booming business: More Singaporeans seen pitching tents at camping sites Posted on 26 September 2024 11:12 am | 564 views | 1 comment STOMP it anytime, anywhere.Download the new STOMP app today. */ View the discussion thread.Hot Topics This Week!xModal HeaderFarah DaleyTNPSept 24, 2024Camping has become increasingly popular in Singapore, with many families choosing to spend quality time outdoors and bond with their children. The National Parks Board (NParks) issued nearly 70,000 camping permits for the island's three park campsites alone last year, a 50 per cent increase compared to the 44,000 permits issued in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.Singapore has four public camping sites: East Coast Park, West Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park and Pulau Ubin. The number of camping permits issued by NParks dropped to around 10,000 per year in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.However, as restrictions eased over the past two years, applications for camping permits surged, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. According to NParks, around 53,000 and 68,000 camping permits were issued in 2022 and 2023 respectively, with over half of them allocated to East Coast Park.If you visit East Coast Park on a Sunday, you can observe numerous tents, umbrellas and beach chairs spread out, even during rainy weather.Most campers are families with young children.Civil servant Muhd Hafiz, 40, recently went camping with his wife, two other adults, and his five children at East Coast Park.Mr Hafiz told Lianhe Zaobao: "I've always loved camping, so I immediately made plans after the pandemic. I also wanted to give my children the opportunity to be outdoors and not just stay at home playing games."He mentioned that they had camped at the park twice in the past three months but were restricted to land activities due to an oil spill. "For us, camping is more about enjoying the outdoor space," he said."Being able to swim would be better. However, this won't stop us from camping because the children can still play outdoors and in the sand."Lin Shu Ling, a dormitory manager from Bukit Timah, also recently camped at East Coast Park with her husband, mother-in-law and three children, aged between three and seven."We sometimes come here for picnics," the 41-year-old said."Compared to West Coast Park, we prefer East Coast Park because it has a better atmosphere. "We recently bought a tent and decided to go camping, mainly to give our children a taste of outdoor life and to keep them from staying indoors. "We also prepared some food to cook outdoors."Human resource manager Wei Youqing and his family of four camped at East Coast Park for the first time last month.As first-timers they were hesitant to camp overnight so instead came early in the morning and left the park in the evening."I think we probably won't stay overnight for camping in the future because I'm worried the children won't be able to adapt," she said."We'll see if they are willing to try when they are older."The rise in popularity of camping has driven demand up for related services and products.Mr Noor Azmi Omar, owner of camping equipment rental company Tonnmalam, shared that his business has grown by 40 per cent since the pandemic.On average, they can rent out five sets of tents per month, and during school holidays, this number can reach around 12 sets.Mr Noor said that more people are opting for nature-based, sustainable and affordable leisure activities, leading to a significant increase in demand for camping equipment. "One of the company's popular camping packages includes a tent that can accommodate up to 14 people, along with inflatable mattresses and pillows," he said.Varun Singh, owner of outdoor equipment store Nalno, also said that sales of camping gear have recovered to pre-pandemic levels since early last year, although they had declined during the pandemic.However, he believes that the popularity of camping may not increase significantly in the long term due to Singapore's typically hot and humid weather and limited camping sites.For those who want a more luxurious camping experience, there's also glamping — but it comes at a price. View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@desireebin)A one-night stay at Into The Woods at Lazarus Island can cost you $380.Promoting the 'slow-living' lifestyle, there are nine tents, six that can sleep two guests and three that can sleep up to four.They are fully air-conditioned and situated just metres from the sea.As the demand for camping continues to rise, it is clear that this outdoor activity has become an integral part of Singapore's leisure landscape.Go to TNP for more stories.Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.Related StoriesCampers set up tents at East Coast Park where signs say 'no camping'Inconsiderate family sets up camping tent inside Pasir Ris Park shelter where sign says no campingFamily sleeping in tent pitched outside Boon Lay HDB flat: Town council working to improve situationMore About: campstent