On 15th December, Shaanxi Sports Bureau and Shaanxi Tourism Bureau announced the establishment of a new partnership. The sides formally signed an agreement of cooperation on the construction of a sports tourism area, high-quality sport events, sports tourism goods and the training of sports tourism talents.
The first project of cooperation that both sides plan to operate is the construction of Zhaojin Sport Tourism Town. According to the initial plan, Zhaojin town will be based on a town centre and Zhaojin Ski Resort. They will build a public gymnasium, cycling paths, fitness trails, mountain bike paths, a township tourism signage system, a four-season ski resort and an outdoor training base before May 2017. Also, they will construct a removable swimming pool, a hot air balloon area, a grass-skiing base and a path between the town center and Xiangshan Mountain, all before the end of 2017.
At present, building up sports tourism towns has become a hot project for regional governments as well as real estate companies, combining the sports industry with tourism. Areas in the provinces of Zhejiang, Hainan, Jiangsu and Henan all are currently trying to establish sports tourism towns with a unique regional culture. Sports tourism towns not only can satisfy the needs of public physical activities, but also can combine the sports industry, tourism and cultural & health industries together, so that they help the growth of the local economy.
Besides the sports tourism town, the Shaanxi government, based on the demands of the sports and tourism market, has built up a series of sports tourism facilities, such as the Shangluo cycling path, the Weinan Yellow River cycle track and outdoor training bases around the province. It also held several influential sports events such as the Xi'an Marathon, Wei River Cycle Race, Yangling International Marathon, and Ankang Dragon Boat Race. From this aspect, the situation of Shaanxi sporting tourism looks prosperous.
Proofread by Sean O Diobhilin