Shanghai Sports Tourism Resources Strategy For Development

Tourism in China has flourished since mid-1980s and is now going through a revolutionary change from tour-based travel towards leisure travel. Within the leisure travel sports tourism is becoming a hot topic among Shanghai locals when it comes to travel. Therefore conducting research on the development of sports tourism resources in Shanghai has great theoretical and social significance.This paper employs qualitative and quantitative research methodology such as literary sources, expert interviews, surveys, and statistical analysis in order to examine Shanghai's tourism resources and analyze the current development situation of sports tourism in Shanghai. Research results show that passive participatory sports tourism (i.e. only involving sight-seeing) has been developing on the right track with a prosperous developing trend. However, in comparison to this kind of sports tourism, the development of active participatory sports tourism is clearly lagging behind and requires its development model to be redesigned with more integrated planning.This paper also points out the existing developmental deficiencies in sports development such as the lack of business development as a marketeering operation, insufficient leveraging and promotion, poor macro-planning and a lack of depth in development, and a failure in scale effect and brand building.After taking a sample survey of Shanghai locals to gauge market demand of sports tourism, this paper has collated this data on the sports tourism market in Shanghai and used it to predict future demand trends and used it as a guide for the development of sports tourism products.Based on the existing sports tourism resources in Shanghai and on estimates of future trends within sports tourism, this paper proposes a strategic layout program named 5-5-6 plan which consists in principal of five main sports tourist blocks, five main sports tourist topics, and six main sports tourist products.Finally, this paper provides some suggestions for development as follows:1. Both the Sports Administration and Tourism Administration should emphasize and strengthen their systematic research on the development of sports tourism resources so that the sports tourism in Shanghai can achieve instant, healthy, and sustained long-term development.2. Macro-management and planning supervision should be strengthened with regard to the development of sports tourism resourcesin Shanghai. Sports tourism in Shanghai should be categorized as a specific project to design, organize, and implement. Only with the rational utilization of resources, scientific spatial layout, and high-level planning and supervision will the development of sports tourism in Shanghai have a definite direction and an applicable development model.3. It should be guided by market forces and based on available resources. It should have product design and time-spatial layout princat its core and construct support systems to ensure its growth.. Product strategy and market strategy should be actively pursued.4. There is also a need to persist in focusing on the economic and social benefits based on environmentally sound policies so to reach a harmonious unity of the three to ensure the sustainable development of sports tourism in Shanghai.