Sport events help drive consumption

Visitors gather outside the World Table Tennis China Smash venue in Beijing on Sunday. WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

During this year's National Day holiday, sports events across China, including those in Beijing and Shanghai, have been seen igniting public enthusiasm and spurring local consumption, reflected by ticket sales and retail figures from the tourism and catering sectors.

The "Village Super League" soccer tournament in Guizhou province and the three-day Jinshajiang River Regatta held in Yunnan province drew large crowds, further igniting public interest in sports. The World Table Tennis China Smash was held between Sept 26 and Sunday in Beijing, with ticket sales standing at some 60 million yuan ($8.5 million).

Among the standout events was the China Open, an ATP 500 and WTA 1000 hard court tennis tournament held in Beijing, which began on Sept 23.

This year, the China Open attracted around 300,000 visitors, a 50 percent increase compared to last year.

The event generated over 80 million yuan in ticket sales revenue, up 60 percent year-on-year. By Tuesday, all tickets for the event had been sold out, and more than 29,000 attendees showed up on Wednesday alone.

The event also attracted about 140,000 tennis fans from outside Beijing and over 13,000 international visitors.

The tournament's success has been fueled by the rising prominence of Chinese tennis players, including 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, who made history at the Paris Games as the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic women's singles gold medal.

At the China Open 2024, Buyunchaokete became the first Chinese man to reach the semifinals, further boosting national interest in the sport.

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic, who returned to the Rolex Shanghai Masters after five years, praised the growing success of Chinese tennis players during a visit to support Chinese junior players from the ASICS Junior Tennis Tour.

"I've been on the tour for more than 20 years, and Chinese women's tennis players have always been successful globally," Djokovic said. "It's great to see Chinese men's tennis emerging, and I'm enjoying this new trend."

Beyond tennis, the China Open also spurred the local retail and catering industries.

Mo Tianfei, manager of the tournament's official retail store, said it had sold over 10,000 products on Tuesday alone.

"Some items sold out, and we had to rush production to meet demand," Mo said.

Sales of the tournament's new mascot — Azhong — were particularly strong, which increased 50 percent compared to last year.

Catering at the event also saw a significant uptick. Catering sales exceeded 10 million yuan by Friday, with a 30-40 percent increase in on-site revenue.

The China Open continues to gain popularity among younger audiences, with most fans under 40, including 800 to 1,000 international visitors daily.

Liang Xi, a local fan, spent 1,800 yuan on tickets for her family."We came to support my 13-year-old son, Li Liangxinqi, who served as a ball kid last year. This year, he's excited to watch his favorite players like Jannik Sinner and Zhang Zhizhen."

Jiang Yiyi, deputy dean of the School of Sports, Leisure and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, highlighted the broader economic impact of sports events.

"Sports events play a key role in driving tourism consumption and enhancing a city's global image,"Jiang said. "Building strong events, teams and players is essential to sustaining this momentum."

The eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of 2024 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters is being held from Wednesday through Oct 13 in Shanghai, including top-ranking players Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.