Increase in Imports of Hiking and Camping Supplies... Annual Maximum Import Value Set New Record for 2 Consecutive Years

Import status data of hiking and camping-related goods. Provided by Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The import value of hiking and camping-related goods has increased significantly.

According to the Korea Customs Service on the 30th, the cumulative import value of hiking and camping-related goods from January to October reached $304 million.

This represents a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year, and following last year's record-high import value of $355 million, it is expected that this year's annual record will be broken again.

The increase in imports of hiking and camping goods is largely attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It means that amid the spread of infectious diseases, more people are leaving densely populated urban areas to enjoy leisure activities in quiet suburban areas, so-called hiking and camping enthusiasts.

In particular, this year, with the lifting of social distancing measures and the arrival of the first autumn foliage season after the restrictions were lifted, the influx of hiking populations appears to have been remarkable.

As evidence of this, the import value of hiking goods from January to October was $43 million, a 74.5% increase compared to the same period last year, marking the largest scale since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It has already surpassed last year's annual import value of $29 million.

By product, hiking boots had the highest import value at $30 million, followed by hiking sticks at $11 million.

Among these, the import value of hiking boots stands out as it has shown a significant upward trend again after the outdoor boom about ten years ago (2010: $56 million).

The monthly import growth rate of hiking boots (compared to the same month last year) was 204%↑ in August, 498%↑ in September, and 61%↑ in October, indicating that hiking boot imports increased in line with the autumn foliage season after the lifting of social distancing.

Also, the Korea Customs Service explains that the cumulative import value of hiking sticks from January to October this year has already surpassed last year's annual import value, setting a record high.

The import value of camping-related goods also continues to show steady growth this year following last year's record high. Last year's annual import value of camping-related goods was $325 million.

This year, as of October, camping-related goods worth $261 million have been imported. In particular, some items such as tents and sunshades are recording the highest import values ever (as of October).

The import values of camping-related goods up to last month were $153 million for tents, $56 million for camping trailers, $37 million for sunshades, and $14 million for air mattresses, respectively.

A Korea Customs Service official said, "With the increase in hiking and camping enthusiasts due to COVID-19, the import scale of related goods is also growing accordingly," adding, "It seems highly likely that the import value record for hiking and camping-related goods will be broken again this year following last year."