The Asian Video games was held in China’s jap metropolis of Hangzhou in October this 12 months, 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 improve in vacation spending, with a major improve in airfare and lodge bookings to Hangzhou specifically.
Mintel report “Leisure Traits – China, 2023” reveals that Chinese language shoppers’ rising curiosity in bodily and psychological well being and energetic existence has ignited the general public’s ardour for sports activities and out of doors recreation. On the similar time, sports activities occasions/fashionable sports activities have change into a robust driver of cultural tourism consumption. As well as, knowledge from Mintel’s “China Shopper Month-to-month Tracker – August 2023” reveals that dwell 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 shopper teams. Right now’s shoppers want a composite immersive expertise. Match impact has given rise to the recognition of the identical kind of sports activities expertise actions – through the China nationwide holidays, the Thousand Islands Lake experience, Fuyang kayaking and different land and water sports activities gross sales elevated sharply year-on-year.
Often 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 each side of the Fuchun River by 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 photograph)
Supply: Xinhua Information Company, 2023
Discover the native tradition round you
Embracing conventional tradition has been one of many key drivers of shopper habits in China lately, in keeping with Mintel’s G36 shopper knowledge. “Cultural tourism” has change into a scorching pattern available in the market after the total liberalization of the epidemic, and journey and leisure locations which can be wealthy in conventional Chinese language and native ethnic cultures are particularly standard among the many youthful era. Cultural tourism manufacturers can capitalize on this chance to construct long-term and deep emotional connections with shoppers, by consistently 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 encompassing tradition and historical past, attracting many occasion spectators and vacationers to go to the town and expertise the distinctive native Chinese language tradition.
Supply: Xinhua Information Company, photograph by interviewee
Wanting forward, manufacturers have the chance to create quite a lot of IP packages, equivalent to “journey with huge occasions”, in order that extra sports activities occasions or fashionable sports activities can change into new situations for cultural and tourism consumption.
Based on the report “Sports activities among the many youth – China, 2023”, China’s “sports activities followers” (i.e. shoppers who’re obsessed with watching sports activities occasions or chasing after movie star groups/athletes) are an viewers that deserves manufacturers’ consideration. Amongst them, girls aged 30-39 and followers of high-end sports activities equivalent to tennis, motor racing and golf have a excessive willingness to spend, and they’re obsessed with buying sports activities dietary meals, taking part in brand-organized advertising (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 isn’t just a leisure exercise, but in addition a approach to categorical their character, values and tastes. Due to this fact, by co-branding/cooperating with the highest athletes of those occasions, cultural tourism manufacturers can even emphasize the distinctive high quality, appeal and affect of their manufacturers.
Underneath the affect of the pattern of nationwide sports activities and wholesome and energetic life, offering shoppers with greater high quality, extra immersive, newer and extra diversified “tourism + sports activities/out of doors sports activities” fusion merchandise and types is extra prone to rapidly seize enterprise alternatives and market increment.
