Creating a new model for island tourism in China, integrating sports and tourism to usher in a new era of water sports

The country is vigorously promoting all-for-one tourism, and "sports + tourism" has entered a stage of deep integration. Recently, with the announcement of the first batch of pilot units for "National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases" and the list of "National Sports Tourism Premium Events," a new national model for water sports integrated with tourism has begun to shine, and the integration of sports and tourism will usher in a new era of water sports.

This also means that through "demonstration bases" and "premium events," the integration of sports and tourism will foster a golden period for the water sports tourism industry, comprehensively driving the transformation and upgrading of water sports projects.

Water sports are thriving, and a water sports tourism industry belt is taking shape

On July 6, the General Office of the National Tourism Administration and the General Office of the General Administration of Sport jointly issued the "Notice on Carrying Out the Creation of 'National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases' and the Application for 'National Sports Tourism Premium Events'," announcing the first batch of 30 pilot units for "National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases" and 33 "National Sports Tourism Premium Events."

Among the 30 "National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases," a water sports tourism industry belt stretching from the Beidahu Sports Tourism Economic Development Zone in Jilin in the north to Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area in Sanya, Hainan in the south has largely taken shape, attracting significant attention. This makes the goal of breaking down barriers in the planning of the water sports industry, as proposed in the "Water Sports Industry Plan" released last year by the General Administration of Sport, even clearer.

It is understood that among the 30 announced pilot units for "National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases," at least 10 are closely related to "water sports," spanning from north to south. Among them, seven are inland water demonstration bases, two are marine water demonstration bases, and one is an island-type sports demonstration base.

The most prominent among these are the Sanya Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area in Hainan, the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, and the Marine National Beach Sports Demonstration Base. The natural advantages of being close to high-quality sea areas fully meet the various conditions required for the development of the water sports tourism industry. These enterprises have conducted thorough exploration and research in the construction of water sports facilities and management models, becoming iconic scenic spots that gather a variety of water sports entertainment projects.

Other National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases, such as the Shengtian Lake Scenic Area in Ruicheng, Yuncheng, the Dongqian Lake Tourist Resort in Ningbo, and the Baili Liujiang Sports Tourism Demonstration Base, also possess natural advantages for developing water sports tourism due to their abundant lakes and river resources. Although they started later, their development momentum is strong.

Tourism + Sports — Deep industrial integration creates new economic growth points

In the process of forming the water sports tourism industry belt, the optimization and integration of resources have continuously driven the creation of new economic growth points in the water sports tourism industry. The "Water Sports Industry Plan" issued last year by nine ministries including the General Administration of Sport, the National Tourism Administration, and the National Development and Reform Commission also pointed out the need to break down barriers in the development of the water sports industry, explore the construction and operational models of distinctive water sports industry clusters, and achieve scaled industrial development. By 2020, the total scale of the water sports industry was to reach 300 billion yuan.

When the consumption upgrade in the tourism industry meets the vigorous development of water sports, it unlocks a trillion-yuan-scale industry, demonstrating the strong consumer demand behind it. According to the "National Fitness Plan (2016–2020)," it is essential to make full use of China’s abundant natural water resources such as rivers, lakes, and seas to drive the development of related industries and industrial chains such as fitness, leisure, entertainment, and equipment facilities, building a healthy China and enhancing new drivers of economic growth.

The development and expansion of the water sports tourism industry cannot be separated from the support and encouragement of relevant national policies, and more importantly, it requires enterprises themselves to demonstrate creativity, continuously explore, and innovate independently.

Taking the Sanya Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area in Hainan as an example, since 2012, the area has begun to deeply develop land and sea resources, introducing water sports projects such as the New Zealand Power Kite and the French Flyboard, achieving differentiated development in island tourism. This aligns with the shift in tourist demand from single sightseeing to deep experience under the new normal, keeping up with market trends and supporting the structural reform of tourism supply.

Leveraging the unique resource advantages of a tropical island-type scenic area, the Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area offers over 30 recreational activities, including more than 20 water sports and 12 extreme sports, attracting over 500,000 visitors annually to experience the joy of water sports. The multi-level, three-dimensional sea experience has also become a powerful engine for the development of the scenic area. In 2012, the Power Kite project, with an investment of 2.6 million yuan, became profitable in just 45 days. By 2016, revenue from water sports projects reached 350 million yuan, accounting for 40% of the scenic area’s total income.

In addition, with the help of favorable policies, technological innovation, and the continuous introduction of capital giants, the water sports tourism industry is growing rapidly, and the water sports industry chain has taken initial shape. Around water sports tourism, island-type scenic areas and river-lake-type scenic areas have developed related leisure and entertainment projects, resort projects, and dining projects, essentially forming a complete upstream and downstream industry chain.

Upgrading the tourism concept — Creating a new engine for all-for-one tourism development

The water sports tourism industry has gone through stages of germination, development, transformation, and deepening. Although it has achieved significant growth, it is still in the early stage of industrial development.

A relevant person in charge of Wuzhizhou Island stated that taking island-type tourist areas as an example, the development of water sports tourism still requires comprehensive measures from the government in terms of policy, funding, talent training, and publicity to further leverage the demonstrative and leading role of "bases." This will promote industry reform through outstanding development and advance the construction of a strong sports nation.

Due to the special status of water sports tourism in ecological environmental protection, the development process must address both ecological conservation and the development of sports tourism. It is also necessary to fully realize the visualization of tourism management, the precision of tourism marketing, and the scientization of natural protection. Efficient smart management systems, smart service systems, and smart marketing systems together promote the deep integration of the sports industry chain and the tourism industry chain, forming new business forms and driving new growth points; promoting the deep integration of sports facilities and tourism facilities, incorporating sports facilities into scenic spots, tourist areas, and parks, making fitness and leisure facilities a mandatory standard for scenic area ratings; and promoting the deep integration of sports industry policies and tourism industry policies, providing strong momentum for the development of sports tourism.

To develop water sports tourism and all-for-one tourism, it is also necessary to focus on improving the industry chain. The upstream industry chain consists of companies in segmented fields such as venue planning and construction, water sports facilities and equipment, water area management, water sports events, and tourism area advertising and marketing. The "downstream" industry chain includes sports media, social communities, coach training, search engines, outdoor equipment, and other enterprises. Every link is indispensable. The improvement of the industry chain will not only promote the sound development of the water sports tourism industry but also prepare the ground for the industry to enter a fast lane of development.

With high-quality scenic resources, starting with the creation of "all-for-one tourism," driving economic collaboration and industrial integration of "tourism + sports," vigorously developing sports tourism, and exploring how to better promote the development of all-for-one tourism nationwide based on actual conditions, is the key to ultimately ushering in a new era of water sports.