Guangxi bolsters the robust development of sports economy and culture through deep integration of sports with tourism

Fangchenggang, China, Dec. 31, 2020 (Antara/Xinhua-AsiaNet) - The 2020 Hundred Health and Sports Companies' Trip to Guangxi and the China-ASEAN Sports Tourism Carnival, co-hosted by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Sports Bureau and Fangchenggang Municipal Government, was unveiled in Fangchenggang from December 19 to 21. The event witnessed a series of new projects and plans that has tapped the potential of Guangxi's sports industry.

At the opening ceremony, the organizers introduced a batch of sports tourism boutique routes, sports complexes, sports tourism demonstration bases, mountain sports camps, aviation sports bases and sports industry demonstration projects in the region. Honorary plaques were awarded to five cities of Nanning, Guilin, Liuzhou, Beihai and Fangchenggang, which were selected as the first batch of sports tourism demonstration cities in Guangxi, and eight demonstration counties (districts), i.e. Yangshuo County and Xiufeng District of Guilin, Qingxiu District, Xingning District and Mashan County of Nanning, Lingyun County of Baise, Shangsi County of Fangchenggang, and Wuxuan County of Laibin, boosting the local sports tourism development.

At the end of 2018, Guangxi was approved by the General Administration of Sport of China to support the creation of a national sports tourism demonstration zone. Remarkable results have been made over the past few years. Currently there are eight boutique routes, 12 boutique attractions, and two destinations dedicated to national sports tourism, as well as one demonstration base, three demonstration projects, and one demonstration organization propping up the growth of national sports industry. Statistics showed that during the National Day Golden Week Holiday in 2019, Guangxi garnered 2.4782 million visits and a tourism revenue of 670 million yuan through its national and regional-level sports tourism boutique projects.

Guangxi has held the China-ASEAN Sports Tourism Carnival for two consecutive years from 2019 to 2020 ("Tourism Carnival") to deepen the integration between sports and tourism, enhance the tourism quality, tap the potential of the sports sector, and create new growth points for the regional economy. From the unrivaled landscape in Guilin to picturesque sea views in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Sports Bureau has envisioned a bright prospect for its sports industry by bolstering domestic demand extensively and amassing industrial development momentum.

A series of interesting activities were held during the tourism carnival to attract more tourists from the region and beyond.

Among them, the China-ASEAN Sports Tourism Expo was held in Fangchenggang Garden Expo Park. Featuring the design of different sports tourism scenes, seven themed areas were set up, i.e. marine sports experience area, sporting goods display area, smart sports area, JD sports area, marine leisure and food culture area, sports lottery area, and Fangchenggang urban area. More than a hundred exhibitors provided citizens and tourists with "digital-era" sports programs including marine sports equipment, intelligent fitness systems, VR sports competitions, badminton robots, and creative fitness games, which inspired the audience to explore more novel and exciting sports, enhanced the popularity of emerging fashion sports, and promoted the sports culture in Guangxi.

As the first "highlight" of the Tourism Carnival, "2020 China-ASEAN Online Sports Product Consumption Week" opened on December 10. During the event, residents in Guangxi were subsidized when paying for sporting goods, which has invigorated the sports consumer market and stimulated sports consumption in Guangxi. According to statistics, JD.com issued 2.65 million coupons in nine batches, totaling 9.87 million yuan. The transaction value of local residents in Guangxi paying with coupons recorded 104 million yuan.

During the period, Fangchenggang also held a series of events such as mini-marathons, mountain cross-country races, sailing challenges, celebrity fishing charity races, and beach music festivals. Following activities such as "Winter Tour in Guangxi" and "Green Ecological Sports in Guangxi", more than 40 major sports events above the city level were held in the region, recording over 250,000 direct participants (person-times).