Marathon Events As A Driving Force For Cultural Tourism Industry Development
Xinhua News Agency, Suzhou, December 11
By Lin Deren and Wang Hengzhi, Xinhua News Agency Correspondents
In recent years, road running events such as marathons have emerged as a significant tool for cities to build their brands and boost the development of cultural, tourism, and related industries. The “2023 China Sports Culture Expo China Sports Tourism Expo” saw enthusiastic discussions on the role of marathon events in driving the growth of the cultural tourism industry.
Officials from various regions shared their experiences on the impact of marathons on local cultural tourism development. Li Xiaoping, director of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau, cited the success of Nanchang’s “Horse Horse” and Lushan Jiujiang Marathon, which generated an operating income of 125 million RMB for Nanchang. Ma Yufeng, director of the Henan Provincial Sports Bureau, highlighted the significant growth in participation in the Henan Zhengkai Marathon and its positive influence on the catering industry and tourism in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. Lu Wei, director of Rizhao Municipal Sports Bureau, spoke about the impact of the Rizhao Marathon in promoting the city’s tourism and business districts.
According to Pounds, director of the World Athletics Federation Road Running Office, marathons serve as a platform for showcasing different cities and promoting tourism. He emphasized the importance of citizen participation and the long-term sustainable development of cities through these events.
However, the success of marathon events relies on ensuring their safety and quality. Lu Wei stressed the crucial role of public services, especially in large-scale events like marathons, in guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of participants. Li Xiaoping emphasized the importance of risk management and building mechanisms for event organization, while Ma Yufeng emphasized the need for continuous service support beyond the event itself.
Looking to the future, Pounds highlighted the long-term economic impact of marathons in promoting a city’s brand and encouraged organizers to consider the lasting benefits of hosting such events.
Original title: Using events to promote the development of the cultural tourism industry – marathon culture shows various driving effects
Xinhua News Agency, Suzhou, December 11
Xinhua News Agency Correspondent Lin Deren and Wang Hengzhi
In recent years, road running events represented by marathons have gradually become one of the important ways for different places to build city brands and promote the development of culture, tourism and other related industries. At the recently held “2023 China Sports Culture Expo China Sports Tourism Expo”, the participating parties had a heated discussion on how marathon events can drive the development of the cultural tourism industry and other topics.
As for the marathon of driving the development of local cultural tourism industry, heads of sports departments in different places have personal experience. Li Xiaoping, director of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau, said that Jiangxi Province has hosted more than 20 city marathons this year, and the more prominent brands include Nanchang’s “Horse Horse” and Lushan Jiujiang Marathon. “This year alone, the Nanchang Marathon has brought in a variable operating income of 125 million, and the driving effect is very obvious, which is mainly concentrated in hotels, hotels and various commercial uses. Registration for the marathon is very popular, and it is It is difficult to find a place. It should be said, (Marathon) has a very strong effect on the use of all cultural and trade tourism, and has become a major driving force for the economic and social development of Jiangxi.”
Ma Yufeng, director of the Henan Provincial Sports Bureau, said the number of participants in the Henan Zhengkai Marathon has increased from 5,600 when it was first launched in 2007 to 49,000 now. Not only is it becoming more and more attractive, but it has also succeeded in promoting the catering industry in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng, developing industry and tourism.
Lu Wei, director of Rizhao Municipal Sports Bureau, said: “Rizhao Marathon connects 15 scenic spots and 6 commercial business districts. It uses the event platform and media communication to show the highlights of the city to the whole society. It’ n good promotion and the ‘look’ of the city. A huge boost.”
Pounds, director of the World Athletics Federation Road Running Office, believes the marathon can attract a large number of people to take part and play a positive role in promoting the city. He said that the marathon is not only a competition, but also a product and an ecosystem. During the event, festivals can be held and unique tourism resources can be displayed in different places. These cultural elements can be spread through the media. “Our focus is to get more people involved, not just professional athletes. In China, we have seen the important role of marathon events in local development. We cannot just talk about marathons without considering sustainable development, our ultimate goal is to make citizens happier and bring better sustainable development to the city.”
Marathon events can have huge positive effects, but the prerequisite and foundation are safe, high quality events. Lu Wei said that in large-scale events, especially marathons, how the public services of the government can ensure that the event is a very important issue. Especially safety, medical and support guarantees, including personal safety, food safety and other aspects of all external participants. “Organising such a large event requires strong government promotion and departmental liaison to make the event a flawless event.”
Li Xiaoping said that marathon risk management is very important. The marathon is an important showcase for the city’s image, charm and culture, and is also a test of the city’s organizational and governance capabilities. He introduced that Jiangxi is working hard to build three mechanisms in event organization, namely comprehensive coordination, joint emergency response and industry docking mechanisms. Every marathon in Jiangxi will be combined with cultural tourism and commercial use. The Lushan Marathon is connected to the scenic spots, and the relevant scenic spots are open to marathon runners free of charge. A series of consumer season activities will be held during the Nanchang Marathon to fully expand the effect of hosting the event, promote the overall economic and social development through the event, and achieve good results.
The quality of marathon running is the foundation of the event’s reputation and the city’s brand. Ma Yufeng said that service guarantee is not only before, after and during the event. “The organizer is not trying to make a ‘one-shot deal’. For example, the Xinyang Marathon has matching arrangements for the participants’ birthdays and a series of activities. The organizer can contact the sponsors of the event, such as water, clothing and sponsorship others, to give more Support to the participants. Such a guarantee also expands the reputation of the brand.”
Lu Wei said that marathons can turn the flow of people into economic increments in a variety of ways. Rizhao is a typical coastal tourism city with very rich resource endowments, including mountains, seas, lakes, forests, grasslands and beaches. In the past two years, sports and tourism have been deeply integrated and connected through events, truly realizing the condition of one person competing for many people to travel, one day competing for several days of waiting, and one person competing for more than one person to eat. . “Our municipal party committee and municipal government have seen the economic benefits generated by the integration of sports and tourism, motivating us to strive to host better and bigger events and create better intellectual property in the future.”
Ponzi said that we have to look at the impact of the marathon from a long-term perspective. The economic impact of the marathon may not be reflected in the week or month the race is held, or even in the year of the race. It may not be apparent until many years later. “Overall, if a city has a marathon event, it may be more conducive to promoting its own brand.”
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