November 2: At the Chongqing Sports Tourism Industry Development Conference hosted in Wansheng District, Chongqing, 13 sports tourism project deals were signed by representatives from companies and districts of Chongqing. 

Reportedly, these 13 projects will cover camping areas, sportswear manufacture and digital operation systems for sports venues. The biggest project will be an international sports and wellness town which will be built in Changshou District, Chongqing aided by an investment of RMB10 billion. 

Liu Qi, Director of Chongqing Tourism Administration (CTA), announced at the conference that sports tourism in Chongqing saw a great performance in 2016, with local sports events such as the Chongqing International Marathon Race boosting the development of tourism industry in Chongqing. In 2016, the added value of Chongqing’s tourism industry reached RMB114.3 billion. 

Meanwhile, Ding Hong, Director of Chongqing Sports Bureau, stated that the sports industry in Chongqing generated RMB30.9 billion in 2016 with over 17,000 employees working in this sector. 

In terms of the future plan for sports tourism in Chongqing, a representative from CTA disclosed that they will leverage the natural resources of this city to develop more activities including hiking, cycling, diving, skiing and fishing. Special sports tourism routes will also be created later. 

Source: cq.cqnews.net 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick