China's outdoor sports industry set to climb

China is stepping up efforts to promote the high-quality development of the outdoor sports sector and boost relevant consumption, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday.

The outdoor sports industry in China is expected to reach a total market value of 3 trillion yuan ($410.6 billion) by the end of 2025, through expanded construction of outdoor facilities, enhanced services and improved consumption vitality, according to the latest action plan released by the NDRC, the country's top economic regulator. The plan aims to meet China's growing demand for outdoor activities.

"The outdoor sports industry, constituting approximately 60 percent of the sports industry, engages over 400 million participants in China. Seizing the enormous potential of the industry and resolutely propelling its high-quality development is key to fostering the sports industry's role as a pillar of the national economy and the comprehensive implementation of the national fitness program," Peng Fuwei, deputy director of the Department of Social Development under the NDRC, said at a news conference in Beijing.

In order to provide sports lovers with richer outdoor workout scenarios and foster stronger growth in open-air sports consumption, the action plan outlines key points to boost the construction of sports parks, sidewalk networks, ice and snow sports facilities, water sports venues, and various campsites.

Enhancing the supply of high-quality outdoor sports is another focus of the action plan to back outdoor consumption. A series of sports-themed events and festival activities in the open-air, coupled with bountiful cultural and tourism projects, are under organization to diversify outdoor offerings and encourage fusion and synergistic development of different industries.

In addition, it also encourages the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and 5G in outdoor sports scenarios to create smart and personalized consumer experiences. The application of cutting-edge technologies will effectively cater to the growing and diversified demand for outdoor sports consumption among the public, said the NDRC.

Chinese consumers' frenzy for open-air sports is also expected to drive the development of various related industries to a great extent, due to its labor and capital-intensive nature, extensive industry chain and wide-reaching impact, the NDRC said.

"The development of outdoor sports could directly stimulate the construction of public service infrastructure and manufacturing, research and development, and sales of related products, while indirectly influences sectors of tourism, healthcare, training and insurance, effectively boosting domestic demand and promoting consumption," said Liu Ming, director of the Department of Social Development under the NDRC.