Sports events serve up success for Zhuhai's tourism industry

The Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, which concluded on Sunday, not only showcased the next wave of female tennis stars, but also demonstrated host city Zhuhai's potential to become a global seaside recreation and tourism destination.

Held at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, the six-day event welcomed 11 players ranked ninth through 19th in the world rankings, plus one wildcard. German tennis legend Steffi Graf was the ambassador for the event.

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus claimed the winner's trophy. Jointly organized by the Chinese Tennis Association and Zhuhai municipal government, the event offered a prize pool of $2.42 million and 700 ranking points for the singles champion.

According to Jorge Salkeld, senior vice-president at Octagon Tennis and a former WTA board member, the event with television coverage in more than 50 countries and regions, is a window for people from around the world to look into Zhuhai and learn more about the city's developments.

"My family watched it in the United States. They say, 'hey, we saw the Zhuhai matches'," Salkeld said. "That's one of the reasons that Zhuhai has decided to invest in the facilities and tennis tournament, because they know that these events are showcasing not only tennis but the facilities of Zhuhai.

"I think it's a really big plus in this vision to connect Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai," Salkeld added, referring to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which opened to traffic in October 2018 and turns Zhuhai into the only city on the Chinese mainland with bridge links to both Hong Kong and Macao.

The 55-kilometer mega project connects the three Chinese cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and cuts the once-arduous hours-long journey from Hong Kong to Zhuhai to just a 45-minute bus ride.

Jose Miguel Garcia, tournament director of the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, who has overseen the event in Zhuhai since 2017, echoed Salkeld's opinion.

He said that Zhuhai has excellent facilities for the tennis event, adding, "Every year the players who are qualified for the tournament express that they feel very comfortable when they are in Zhuhai.

"The promotion of the cities through events, especially sports, has proved to be a success over the last two decades," he said. "The WTA Elite Trophy has helped increase the awareness of Zhuhai in the world."

Garcia said Zhuhai is on the right path to building interest in tennis, and is investing in the development of the sport at both professional and amateur levels.

Hosting sports events is part of the city's strategy to grow into an international seaside recreation and tourism destination in the foreseeable future to support the Bay Area as "a quality living circle for living, working and traveling".