China National Tourism Administration and General Administration of Sport of China jointly issued a set of guidelines for developing the country’s sports tourism. Trending segments such as winter sports and mountaineering have become major development targets.
The goal is to build 100 influential sports tourism destinations in China by 2020 and boost the country’s sports tourists to 1 billion, which will account for 15% of the country’s total tourist number, and lift tourism receipt in this segment to more than RMB 1 trillion by the year.
There are three forms of sports tours: tours for watching sports tournaments, visiting stadiums or taking part in events. The third form helps to create stronger affinity between visitors and destinations and is deemed more effective at generating economic benefits for the destinations.
Based on Ctrip’s data, China’s sports tourism currently represents only 5% of the country’s total tour itineraries. (Translated by Jerry)
