Xinhua News Agency, Suzhou, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Promoting the development of the cultural and tourism industry through events -- marathon culture shows a diversified driving role.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Lin Deren and Wang Hengzhi.
In recent years, road running events represented by marathons have gradually become one of the important ways to build city brands and promote the development of culture, tourism and other related industries. At the "2023 China Sports Culture Expo China Sports Tourism Expo" held a few days ago, the participants had a warm discussion on topics such as how the marathon event can drive the development of the cultural tourism industry.
In terms of the marathon driving the development of the local cultural tourism industry, the heads of sports departments in various places have personal feelings. Li Xiaoping, director of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau, said that Jiangxi Province has held more than 20 city marathons this year, and the more prominent brands include Nanchang's "Hero Horse" and Jiujiang Lushan Marathon. "This year alone, the Nanchang Marathon has brought a variety of operating income12.5 billion, the pulling effect is very obvious, which is mainly concentrated in hotels, hotels and various commercial consumption. Registration for the marathon is hot, and it's hard to find one. It should be said that (holding the marathon) is very strong for the consumption of the entire cultural tourism and trade, and has become a great driving force for our economic and social development in Jiangxi. ”
Ma Yufeng, director of the Henan Provincial Sports Bureau, said that the scale of Zhengkai Marathon in Henan has grown from 5,600 people at the beginning of 2007 to 490,000 people, not only more and more attractive, but also successfully led to the development of catering and tourism in the two cities of Zhengzhou and Kaifeng.
Lu Wei, director of the Rizhao Sports Bureau, said: "The Rizhao Marathon connects 15 scenic spots and 6 commercial business districts, and uses the event platform and communication to show the highlights of the city to the whole society, and it is a great boost to the city's publicity and 'appearance'." ”
Pounds, director of the World Athletics Federation's Road Running Office, believes that marathons can attract a large number of people and play a positive role in promoting the city. He said that the marathon is not only a race, but also a product, an ecosystem, during the event, festivals can be held, can show the unique tourism resources of various places, these cultural elements can be spread through **. "Our focus is to get more people involved, not just professional athletes. In China, we see the important role of marathons in local development. We can't just talk about a marathon without thinking about sustainable development, our ultimate goal is to make citizens happier and bring better sustainable development to cities. ”
Marathons can have a huge positive effect, but the premise and foundation is a safe and high-quality race. Lu Wei said that how to ensure the public service of large-scale events, especially marathons, is a very important issue. In particular, safety, medical care and support guarantees, including the personal safety of all foreign participants, food safety and other aspects. "Organizing such a large-scale event requires strong promotion and departmental linkage to make the event foolproof. ”
Li Xiaoping said that marathon risk management and control are very important. The marathon is not only an important showcase of the city's image, charm and culture, but also a test of the city's organizational and governance capabilities. He introduced that Jiangxi is focusing on building three mechanisms in the organization of the event, namely comprehensive coordination, joint emergency response and industrial docking mechanism. Every marathon in Jiangxi will be combined with cultural tourism and commercial consumption. The Lushan Marathon is linked with the scenic spots, and the relevant scenic spots are open to marathon participants free of charge. During the Nanchang Marathon, a series of consumption season activities will be held to fully amplify the effect of the race, promote the economic and social development of the whole through the event, and achieve good results.
The quality of the marathon is the foundation of the event and the reputation of the city's brand. Ma Yufeng said that the service guarantee is not only before and during the event. "The organizers are not going to do a 'one-shot deal', such as the Xinyang Marathon, and there are corresponding arrangements for the birthdays of the runners and a series of activities. The organizer can contact the sponsor of the event, such as water, clothing, etc., to give more support to the participants. Such a guarantee also expands the brand reputation. ”
Lu Wei said that the marathon can turn the flow of people into an economic increment, and there are many ways and means. Rizhao is a typical coastal tourist city, with very rich resource endowments, including mountains and seas, lakes and forests, grasslands and beaches. In the past two years, the in-depth integration of sports and tourism, with the series of events, has truly realized the state of one-person competition and multi-person tourism, one-day competition and multi-day stay, and single-person competition and multi-person consumption. "Our municipal party committee and municipal government have seen the economic benefits generated by the integration of sports and tourism, prompting us to compete for better and more events and create better IP in the future. ”
Pounds said it is important to take a long-term view of the impact of the marathon. The economic role of the marathon may not be reflected in the week or month in which the race is held, or even in the year of the race, but may not be evident many years later. "On the whole, a city with a marathon event may be more conducive to its own branding. (ENDS).