Fusion of sports and tourism booms in Gansu

LANZHOU — After skiing at the national snow sports training base in Jingtai county, Gansu province, 11-year-old Li Sen and his parents from Taiyuan, Shanxi province, also visited the Yellow River stone forest park, a well-known local scenic spot near the ski resort.

It took only a 20-minute car ride from the resort to the park for the family to enjoy both skiing and sightseeing on the same day.

The integration of sports and tourism has boosted public enthusiasm in northwestern China, including Gansu, since the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in 2022.

Zhu Jifei, general manager of the training base, says the total number of visitors to the base's ski resort exceeded 200,000 in the winter.

"Most visitors to our resort will also make a beeline for the Yellow River stone forest park to enjoy the natural beauty," Zhu says.

Zheng Haixia, the silver medalist of the women's basketball team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, also took a trip to this county last summer.

"I love the local basketball and sports atmosphere," Zheng says, adding that many visitors come to scenic spots like the stone forest, and that made her happy as it was good for the local economy.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Qinghai province, the 2024-25 Chinese Curling League kicked off in March in Xining, the capital city of Qinghai.

The special performance for the curling league was held at a theater, showcasing dances, songs and acrobatics with local characteristics, creating an unforgettable feast for visitors.

In the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, statistics show that the region held over 700 winter sports and tourism events during this Spring Festival vacation.

"Across the country, including in the northwestern regions, people's enthusiasm for sports tourism continues to grow," says He Xiaozu, director of the department of culture and tourism in Gansu province.

Xinhua