Consumption boost

Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, insists that the rising number of tournaments in China is a positive development.

"I don't think it hurts at all," Simon said in an earlier interview when asked whether the busy Chinese schedule posed a problem.

"The heavy schedule in Asia is not a disadvantage. The growth of interest in the sport and the commitment from local governments is impressive. By finishing here (in 2019) it strengthens what's been done and invested in this marketplace," said Simon, who has visited China every year during the Asian leg of the tour since taking over the organization in 2015.

As the country pushes the sports industry as a new economic driver, the growth of tennis has coincided with the central government's call－underlined in a 2014 State Council plan－to boost sports consumption to increase revenue of the sports industry to 5 trillion yuan ($724 billion) by 2025.

Events such as the China Open, Asia' biggest combined tournament, have become popular not only among tennis fans but also urban consumers.

Apart from enjoying top-class action on court, visitors to the National Tennis Center in Beijing, where the tournament has been held since 2009, have flocked to the numerous merchandise outlets, tennis academy booths, equipment stores, and restaurants, signifying growing public demand for sports-related activities and products during the National Day holiday.

This year's tournament, which ran from Sept 28 to Oct 7, attracted more than 200,000 visitors, while on-site consumption in catering and merchandizing reached 8 million yuan a 23 percent year-on-year increase, according to the organizing committee.

The glittering field of star players coupled with media coverage that has expanded to 130 countries and regions, attracted more than 40 business partners for this year's tournament.

Although the final financial assessment has not been completed, co-tournament director Alfred Zhang is confident the event will have increased revenue and profit for the fifth consecutive year. Last year, revenue at the China Open rose by 2 percent from an estimated 178 million yuan in 2016.

"The event has become an important part of the tourism boom during the public holidays and has contributed greatly to the trend of increasing sports and leisure consumption among urban Chinese," Zhang said.

Observers have called for a wider range of businesses to be developed within the industry, citing the commercial operation of the China Open as an example.

Jiang Chongmin, a senior researcher at the China Institute of Sport Science, said, "Our growth pattern, relying heavily on the manufacturing sector, now lags behind world sports powers like the United States, where intangible consumption, such as the broadcasting trade, on-site spending, and training fees is more dominant.

"The China Open model has provided a valuable insight for other events that want to diversify and drive the sports industry to new heights."