Outdoor sports market in China thrives: report

People enjoy skiing and snowboarding in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. [Photo/VCG]

The outdoor sports consumer market in China has thrived from 2023 to 2024, according to the China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2023-2024) released on Saturday in Dali, Yunan province. People born in the 80s and 90s have become the core consumer group target for outdoor sports, as highlighted in the report.

In 2023, among the participants in outdoor sports, individuals born in the 80s accounted for the highest proportion at 37.13 percent, followed by those born in the 90s at 35.17 percent. Teenagers born in the 2000s and individuals born in the 70s were roughly equal, accounting for 12.79 percent and 10.02 percent respectively, according to Tongcheng Travel, a leading travel platform in China.

In terms of consumption, outdoor sports enthusiasts spent an average of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan ($280 to $701) on outdoor activities during the 2023 to 2024 period. Meanwhile, the number of outdoor sports-related orders made in the first half of 2024 increased by 59.78 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Tongcheng Travel.

As of September, China had over 177,000 outdoor-related enterprises, with over 42,000 new registrations from January to September, recording a nearly 50 percent year-on-year increase.

In the 2023-2024 snow season, 264 million people participated in snow and ice sports while the country's outdoor equipment market size grew from 67.5 billion yuan in 2019 to 87.2 billion yuan in 2023, the report said.

In the first half of 2024, the order volume of cycling, fishing, paragliding, surfing and sailing increased compared to the first half of 2023. At present, there are about 160 million fishing enthusiasts in China, with the age group between 25 and 44 being the main force.

The equestrian sports industry reached a scale of 20.99 billion yuan in 2023. Rock climbing, hiking and cycling proved to be popular on online platforms, with cycling boosting an increase in the sale of bicycles, cycling apparel and cycling equipment.