Yunnan emerges as China's outdoor sports hub

Visitors participate in a cross-country running race on a mountain in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The 2025 China Outdoor Sports Industry Conference recently convened in Dali, Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, exploring how to integrate outdoor sports more deeply with culture and tourism. The conference has been held in Yunnan for three consecutive years.

According to the China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2024-2025), the number of outdoor sports participants nationwide surpassed 400 million by early April of this year.

Among China's many outdoor destinations, Yunnan has emerged as a particularly popular choice, with a growing number of visitors heading to the province for exhilarating outdoor sports experiences.

Yunnan's appeal lies in its diverse natural landscapes, according to Su Xiangdong, director of the Yunnan Provincial Sports Industry Development Center.

With an average annual temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, the province offers year-round opportunities — from hiking and cycling to sailing, kayaking, skiing and camping. Its varied terrain, including mountains, canyons, lakes, forests and snow-capped peaks, makes it an ideal outdoor destination.

Yunnan has built over 10,000 kilometers of fitness trails, including hiking and mountain paths, established 81 premium outdoor camps, constructed 12 ice and snow venues, and developed climbing routes for 181 peaks.

Beyond natural scenery, Yunnan's ethnic diversity and historical and cultural heritage add a unique charm to outdoor pursuits.

"Historical and cultural routes like the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, the Burma Road, and the ancient Tea Horse Road have grown in popularity over the past two years. Events such as the cross-border marathon and the horse racing festival in Shangri-La are drawing large crowds. Visitors can not only participate in these events but also immerse themselves in local customs and traditions," Su explained.

Building on these natural assets, Yunnan rolled out a three-year action plan for the development of the outdoor sports industry and a separate plan for integrating sports with tourism in 2023.

Over recent years, Yunnan has hosted major international events, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Kunming Marathon, the Colorful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival, and the China Nujiang River Kayak Wild Water Open, alongside signature competitions such as the Yunnan Plateau Lakes and Mountains Series. The province stages over 2,000 sports events annually, generating more than 10 billion yuan ($1.41 billion) in economic income.

Yunnan has steadily improved its sports tourism infrastructure and expanded its product offerings in recent years, building "one-hour urban outdoor activity circles." These efforts have doubled the province's sports industry scale in three years, with average annual growth exceeding 23 percent. By the end of this year, the total scale of the sports industry and related sectors across the province is expected to surpass 100 billion yuan.

Yunnan now seamlessly blends natural landscapes, ethnic culture, wellness tourism, extended travel experiences, sports training and outdoor recreation. This integrated approach has attracted more than 20 leading enterprises from outside the province, nurtured over 130 local operators, and created 150 provincial-level premium sports tourism projects, as well as 64 outstanding sports culture projects.

In October, China's National Development and Reform Commission and other departments released the first batch of high-quality outdoor destinations, with two sites in Yunnan making the list.

"We will continue refining our policy framework, providing quality products and services, and creating new scenarios that integrate sports with tourism to support the high-quality development of sports tourism," said an official from the Yunnan Provincial Sports Bureau.