The trillion-yuan sports tourism market is booming: Fitness-focused travel gains popularity, while IP development becomes crucial for industry growth

 Recently, the National Sports Tourism Industry Development Conference, jointly hosted by the China National Tourism Administration and the General Administration of Sport of China, was held in Wuxi, Jiangsu. At the conference, the two authorities jointly released the first list of candidates for "National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases," the first list of "National Sports Tourism Premium Events," and the "Belt and Road Sports Tourism Development Action Plan."

Previously, the joint guidelines issued by the two authorities mentioned that by 2020, China’s total sports tourism volume will reach 1 billion trips, making up 15% of all tourism, with total sports tourism spending expected to exceed 1 trillion yuan.

By definition, sports tourism refers to travel activities undertaken with the purpose of watching, appreciating, or participating in various sporting events. Currently, sports tourism products on the market can generally be divided into several categories, including fitness tourism, extreme sports tourism, event-viewing tourism, and competitive participation tourism.

In recent years, with rising living standards and evolving consumer demand, experience-based consumption represented by sports and tourism has seen rapid growth. According to data from Lvmama Travel, in the first half of 2017, the number of travelers opting for sports tourism products saw a significant increase—1.2 times higher than the same period in 2016. Among the most popular sports tourism activities, fitness-focused options such as hiking, cycling, and trekking led the way.

Meanwhile, the top ten most popular sports tourism destinations in China are: Xiling Snow Mountain, Sanya Wuzhizhou Island, Ningxia Shapotou, Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, Chongqing Wulong Karst Tourist Area, Meili Snow Mountain, Huizhou-Hangzhou Ancient Trail, Yabuli Ski Resort in Heilongjiang, Jiangxi Lushan Xihai, and Beijing Olympic Park. Additionally, sports tourism exhibits strong seasonality—between January and March, ski tourism products in Yabuli and Changbai Mountain see high sales, while in summer, destinations like Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center and Rizhao World Sailing Base attract many visitors.

Wang Xiaosong, CEO of Lvmama Travel, noted that compared to traditional sightseeing tourism, sports tourism centered around participation and experience is becoming increasingly popular. China boasts abundant and diverse sports tourism resources across regions, and local governments are actively integrating these assets. Guided by the concept of all-for-one tourism, they are leveraging the “sports + tourism” model to drive deeper integration, establish distinctive local sports tourism brands, and boost consumption upgrades. The announcement of the “National Sports Tourism Demonstration Bases” and the first batch of “National Sports Tourism Premium Events” will play a greater role in setting examples and propelling the domestic sports tourism industry forward.

It is understood that regions across China are actively laying out their sports tourism strategies. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is leveraging the 2022 Winter Olympics to jointly develop national fitness initiatives and build integrated sports tourism and leisure bases. Yunnan Province is focusing on three key areas—fitness services, plateau training, and sports events—to drive deep integration of sports and tourism, resulting in three major types of sports tourism: wellness and leisure travel, fitness and training travel, and event viewing and experience travel.

In Jiangsu, there are currently as many as eight planned or under-construction sports towns. The Zhejiang provincial government has also issued directives aiming to cultivate 3–5 distinctive leisure towns with sports industries as their main focus. In terms of specific sports, outdoor activities like marathons and trail running have become the “pioneers” stimulating the development of sports tourism in many places. Locations such as Wuyishan in Fujian, Chongli in Hebei, Wugongshan in Jiangxi, and Zhangye in Gansu have begun creating branded events. By leveraging the appeal and influence of event IPs, they aim to shape regional cultural and sports tourism brands and achieve integrated development of sports tourism across their entire regions.

Wang Xiaosong summarized that the pace of sports tourism development in China is accelerating, mainly covering two key aspects:

First, regarding sports tourism demonstration bases, many scenic areas and towns are designing their core business models around sports, leisure, and related activities. In particular, the development of sports tourism-themed towns serves as an important vehicle for the growth of the sports leisure industry.

Second is the creation of sports tourism IPs. Nowadays, every industry talks about IP, and the development of sports tourism is no exception. Whether it's a sports tourism demonstration base or a branded event, establishing a unique IP is essential. This concept includes fan loyalty, sustained influence, and the ability to drive derivative consumption. Currently, there are still very few projects in China that can truly be called sports tourism IPs.

Riding the wave of government support, major tourism companies are also stepping up efforts to explore the “travel + sports” space. Wang Xiaosong explained that aside from fitness tourism, which attracts larger crowds, other segments like event-viewing tourism and competitive participation tourism often lean more toward customization. For example, Lvmama has previously sold travel products themed around events such as the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup. However, the number of people willing and able to engage in such customized travel is relatively limited.

The overall market “pie” isn’t very large. Aside from tourism companies, competitors also include businesses from the vertical sports sector. These players often hold stronger advantages in upstream areas of the sports tourism value chain—such as sports venues and event resources—as well as in downstream user bases. Travel agencies, on the other hand, have relatively stronger capabilities in providing transportation and accommodation services. Combining these strengths could lead to the development of more “customized” sports tourism products that better meet market demand.

Given the relatively niche nature of event-viewing and competitive participation tourism, Lvmama places greater emphasis on sports tourism with a focus on leisure and sports activities. For instance, Lvmama’s parent-child travel IP brand “Lv Yue Parent-Child” regularly organizes fitness-focused parent-child travel events in collaboration with scenic areas. Leveraging the full-industry-chain advantages of Jiyu Group, it enhances various aspects of sports resources—from development and design, to operational management, marketing, and visitor transport—offering sports enthusiasts diversified, high-quality, and differentiated services.