The Asian Video games was held in China’s jap metropolis of Hangzhou in October this yr, coincided with China’s Nationwide Day that Chinese language residents loved a week-long vacation (Golden Week) for it, which positively contributing to the general enhance in vacation spending, with a major enhance in airfare and resort bookings to Hangzhou particularly.
Mintel report “Leisure Traits – China, 2023” reveals that Chinese language shoppers’ rising curiosity in bodily and psychological well being and lively life has ignited the general public’s ardour for sports activities and out of doors recreation. On the similar time, sports activities occasions/stylish sports activities have turn out to be a robust driver of cultural tourism consumption. As well as, information from Mintel’s “China Client Month-to-month Tracker – August 2023” exhibits that stay performances, sports activities occasions and outbound excursions have demonstrated great progress potential within the total journey and leisure market.
Mintel’s senior journey and leisure analyst Shannon Liu shared her ideas on the preferred journey and leisure experiences through the Asian Video games 2023 in Hangzhou:
Immersive “event-oriented” experiences
Conventional journey merchandise can hardly meet the wants of recent client teams. At the moment’s shoppers desire a composite immersive expertise. Event impact has given rise to the recognition of the identical sort of sports activities expertise actions – through the China nationwide holidays, the Thousand Islands Lake journey, Fuyang kayaking and different land and water sports activities gross sales elevated sharply year-on-year.
Generally known as “probably the most stunning water Asian Video games venues,” Hangzhou Fuyang Aquatic Sports activities Heart attracted many vacationers who got here to see the surroundings on either side of the Fuchun River by means of the lens of the sport. Guests can take a cruise on the “Dwelling within the Fuchun Mountains” to expertise the “Dwelling within the Fuchun Mountains” by Huang Gongwang.
Hangzhou Fuyang Water Sports activities Heart (Drone picture)
Supply: Xinhua Information Company, 2023
Discover the native tradition round you
Embracing conventional tradition has been one of many key drivers of client habits in China in recent times, in keeping with Mintel’s G36 client information. “Cultural tourism” has turn out to be a scorching pattern available in the market after the complete liberalization of the epidemic, and journey and leisure locations which might be wealthy in conventional Chinese language and native ethnic cultures are particularly well-liked among the many youthful era. Cultural tourism manufacturers can capitalize on this chance to construct long-term and deep emotional connections with shoppers, by always pushing the boundaries across the native tradition and pure setting.
This time, Hangzhou launched 15 basic Asian Video games-themed itineraries that included not solely venue excursions, but in addition themed routes that explored the encircling tradition and historical past, attracting many occasion spectators and vacationers to go to town and expertise the distinctive native Chinese language tradition.
Supply: Xinhua Information Company, picture by interviewee
Trying forward, manufacturers have the chance to create quite a lot of IP packages, reminiscent of “journey with massive occasions”, in order that extra sports activities occasions or stylish sports activities can turn out to be new eventualities for cultural and tourism consumption.
In accordance with the report “Sports activities among the many youth – China, 2023”, China’s “sports activities followers” (i.e. shoppers who’re enthusiastic about watching sports activities occasions or chasing after superstar groups/athletes) are an viewers that deserves manufacturers’ consideration. Amongst them, ladies aged 30-39 and followers of high-end sports activities reminiscent of tennis, motor racing and golf have a excessive willingness to spend, and they’re obsessed with buying sports activities dietary meals, collaborating in brand-organized advertising and marketing (e.g., meet-the-star occasions) and group actions (e.g., sports activities golf equipment), in addition to amassing peripheral merchandise. For these “sports activities followers”, sports activities is not only a leisure exercise, but in addition a method to specific their character, values and tastes. Due to this fact, by co-branding/cooperating with the highest athletes of those occasions, cultural tourism manufacturers may emphasize the distinctive high quality, allure and affect of their manufacturers.
Beneath the affect of the pattern of nationwide sports activities and wholesome and energetic life, offering shoppers with larger high quality, extra immersive, newer and extra diversified “tourism + sports activities/out of doors sports activities” fusion merchandise and types is extra more likely to shortly seize enterprise alternatives and market increment.
