Thrills are worth the bill

Skydiving, hiking, kayaking - they're all part of the plan as sports tourism takes off

Zhao Manli, 29, a project manager at a language training center in Shanghai, recently blew $400 - the equivalent of a week's salary - on a two-hour helicopter tour of Cairns in northern Queensland, a province in Australia.

For Zhao, the thrill and the sense of adventure and achievement she experienced during those two hours were worth much more than $400.

"I've never thought I'd dare fly in a helicopter, but I'm so glad I did. It's so exciting. I wish I could do more activities like that in China, too."

Her wish, probably shared by millions of other Chinese, is likely to be fulfilled sooner rather than later as sports tourism - with an emphasis on thrills, adventure, outdoor activity and physical fitness - is set to take off in China.

This emerging segment of the tourism market is expected to generate billions of dollars in sales revenue in the years to come. Development of sports tourism is one of the goals for economic rejuvenation set by top policymakers in December.

In China these days, investments, exports and resource exploitation sit side-by-side with domestic consumption and "consumption upgradation" in the list of national priorities.

So, from aviation clubs to hiking trails, specific projects are making efforts to develop sports tourism in China.

By 2020, the country hopes to generate a billion sports tourism trips annually from Chinese as well as foreign tourists. As many as 100 companies could be formed with a focus on sports tourism. At least 100 new sports tourism activities are planned.

Another 100 projects to promote health through such activities as hiking, jogging and biking trials will be launched.

That's not all - 100 purpose-built "demonstration tourist bases" will be built. The following are in the pipeline: 2,000 camps for aviation sports activities like skydiving, ballooning and helicopter tours; 1,000 clubs to popularize water sports such as kayaking; 500 kilometer hiking trails along the Taihang Mountains that range across Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi and Henan.

A research note from Ping An Securities says that sports tourism has been one of the fastest growing segments in China's consumption-driven economy, thanks to growing wealth, increasing disposable incomes and rising awareness of the interconnection between physical and mental health.

According to a State Council circular, the sports industry's contribution to GDP is sought to be raised from 0.5 percent in 2015 to 5 percent in 2025, making it a 5 trillion yuan market.

Market analysts say policy support alone, while certainly helping to develop the sector, won't be enough. Finance needs to be raised from capital markets. Investments need to be made in brand building and development of intellectual properties for sport activities, events and facilities, they say.

Officials at enterprises that have invested heavily in outdoor activities and sports events say they see sports and sports tourism not as niches catering to a small group of people but as mass-market products.

In 2016, Discovery Adventures Park in Moganshan opened to families that wished to experience an array of multiple-level outdoor survival skills and training programs, including China's biggest rock climbing wall, zip-lines, ATV tours, mountain bike courses, hiking routes, obstacle challenges and more.

APAX Group, developer of the 400 million yuan project, plans to open another 80 similar parks in the next 10 years in China and other locations in Asia, according to Terence Chu, its managing director.

Sun Haibing, owner of Kayak Bike Run, an outdoor activities club in suburban Beijing, says that consumers' attitudes to outdoor activities and sports tourism have changed significantly, which will likely lead to rapid development of the sector.

"In the past, people used to believe kayaking on a river, or biking on a mountainous road must be quite 'dangerous' and require professional skills through long-term training, suitable only for professional athletes. But now, even primary school children are coming to the park to pick up these skills. As long as safety is ensured by professional coaches and the creation of an ecosystem of sports tourism complete in all respects, people will try their best and push self-imposed boundaries for themselves. The market is booming," says Sun.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 02/10/2017 page27)