Interpretation of the 2024 sports tourism boom: Men love to watch games, women love to experience, Shenzhen residents lead the Greater Bay Area in "sports tourism" consumption
2024-08-18
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From the European Cup and the Olympics to the comprehensive warm-up for the "15th National Games", in 2024, the sports tourism consumption market has grown rapidly, becoming one of the highlights of the development of the tourism industry.
On August 16, Tongcheng Travel and Gudong released the "2024 Sports and Leisure Consumption Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), which showed that while watching games has been particularly popular this year, it has also stimulated widespread participation in outdoor sports. Since the beginning of this year, the popularity of outdoor sports-related scenic spots has grown rapidly, and bookings for various mountaineering and hiking tourism products have been hot. Looking at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, sports tourism consumption is booming, and Shenzhen has entered the top three cities with the highest per capita spending on sports tourism, second only to Shanghai and Beijing.
Men are keen on sports viewing tours, while women prefer sports experience tours
The report pointed out that the just-concluded 2024 Paris Olympics ignited the enthusiasm for watching the games and also stimulated the enthusiasm for participating in outdoor sports. According to Tongcheng Travel data, from January to July, the search popularity of sports tourism increased by 87% year-on-year. During the Paris Olympics, the popularity of group tour bookings to France surged by 225%, showing the huge influence of international sports events on travel demand.
In addition to watching the games, more and more people are starting to participate in outdoor sports. According to the data from the Gudong app, the number of people participating in outdoor sports increased by 19% year-on-year in the first half of the year, among which the number of outdoor cycling users increased the most, reaching 38.7%.
The top three outdoor sports that users like the most in the first half of the year are: outdoor running, outdoor cycling, and brisk walking. On the Tongcheng Travel platform, popular ways to play sports tourism include watching games, mountain hiking, outdoor cycling, marathons, and water sports. These activities not only allow tourists to enjoy the fun of sports, but also become a motivation to explore emerging tourist destinations.
In terms of demographics, those born in the 1990s are the main force in outdoor running and cycling, while those born in the 1980s are mainly outdoor walking. In addition, the number of cycling users born in the 2000s has grown the fastest, with the number of outdoor cycling users born in the 2000s on the Gudong app increasing by 53.5% year-on-year in the first half of the year.
The report also pointed out that among consumers who watch sports games, the proportion of men is slightly higher than that of women, at 53%. In addition to watching traditional sports games, users born in the 1990s and 2000s also pay attention to various e-sports events. In addition to watching the games on site, many sports fans will choose "e-sports rooms" or "watching games rooms" to enjoy the fun of watching games in the hotel with their friends.
In comparison, sports experience travel itineraries are more popular among women, and women account for 58% of users who are interested in such products.
Extreme sports are the most popular in first-tier cities, and young people in small towns are also keen on watching sports abroad
Young people in different cities have different sports preferences.
The report pointed out that residents in first-tier cities prefer ice and snow sports, water sports and outdoor cycling, and tend to release life pressure in extreme sports experiences. Users in second-tier cities prefer mountain hiking, sports watching and marathons, which meet the dual needs of health and social interaction. Residents in third-tier and lower cities also like to watch sports games. The booking popularity of "small town youth" outbound viewing tours has increased by more than 2 times year-on-year, and cycling, fishing, etc. are also sought after by "small town youth".
Marathon races held in major cities in 2024 attracted the participation of long-distance running enthusiasts from all over the country. According to data from the Gudong app, Beijing was the city with the most users who completed full marathons in the first half of the year, and Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Suzhou and other cities also ranked in the top ten.
When it comes to choice of running routes and venues, Beijing residents' favorites are Olympic Forest Park, Yuyuantan Park and Chaoyang Park. Shanghai Century Park, Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Center and Shenzhen Talent Park running tracks are also popular venues in various cities.
It is worth noting that the popularity of bookings for scenic spots related to sports and outdoor activities has increased rapidly. On the Tongcheng Travel platform, the popularity of bookings for related scenic spots in the first half of the year increased by 108% year-on-year. The visit experience of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube in Beijing has become the most popular sports tourism project in China. In addition, cycling in Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou, hiking in the Jinuo Mountain rainforest in Yunnan, night riding on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing and diving on the coral reefs in Sanya are also popular among tourists. In July this year, the popularity of searches related to night riding on Chang'an Avenue increased by more than 3 times year-on-year.
Bookings for various mountaineering and hiking tourism products continue to be hot, with Mount Emei, Mount Huangshan and Mount Changbai becoming the three most popular mountain scenic spots in 2024.
Where do people love sports the most? The answer may surprise you.
On the Gudong app, the cities with the highest frequency of exercise per capita are: Ningde, Xiamen in Fujian and Xi'an in Shaanxi. In addition, Jinhua and Nanning are the cities that like to get up early and exercise at night the most.
Which groups of people are most willing to spend money on sports?
On the Tongcheng travel platform, the cities with the highest per capita spending on "sports tourism" are Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. Users in first-tier cities have higher travel frequency and average order value.
Text | Reporter Liu Xingtong Correspondent Rao Sibi
