Chinese city of Haikou at promotion in Zagreb

In order to further showcase Haikou's urban culture, sports events and tourism resources and expand its sports economy industry and inbound tourism market, the symposium Promoting investment in Haikou tourism (Zagreb) was successfully held in Croatia, November 22, 2024.

Representatives of the Croatian Football Federation, the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Society, Croatian football clubs, tourist associations and  and sports companies, Hungarian sports marketing experts, Croatian travel agencies and media.

The symposium was attended by Hua Xiaodong, Director of the Publicity Department of Haikou CPC Committee, Wang Peng, Minister Counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Croatia and Branko Balon, president of the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Society, who delivered speeches.

Hua Xiaodong highlighted the deep historical ties between China and Croatia, adding that the ancient Silk Road facilitated exchanges between the two peoples. He also praised Croatia's global reputation as a football superpower, with a rich football culture and achievements.

As a strategic city in the Chinese initiative "Belt and road" and a key center of Hainan Island's free trade port, Haikou City offers unique resources, including coastal tourism, sports events, arts and culture. Hua expressed the hope that both sides will explore effective ways to leverage football as a platform for resource integration, expand markets in tourism, culture and sports, and fully unleash the potential of the sports industry."

Under the theme 'Vibrant Haikou - a city of free trade', this event solidified Haikou's global reputation as a top tourist destination, explored opportunities for multi-industry integration such as 'sports + tourism + culture', and deepened Haikou's international exchanges and mutual learning in tourism, culture, and sports.

During the symposium, Hainan's representative for investment promotion in Europe introduced the football facilities at the China National Football (South) Training Base, Haikou's professional football clubs, the local winter training industry, football events and youth training programs. This gave the guests a more direct and in-depth understanding of Haikou's sports offerings and strengthened the foundation for future sports exchanges and cooperation.

In addition, detailed discussions were held on the development of the sports event industry and event facilities in Haikou and Croatia. Focusing on Haikou's rich sports event resources and high-quality services, both sides aim to enhance cooperation and jointly promote sports event tourism, offering richer and more diverse experiences to tourists. This discussion further advanced the integration of sports and tourism, giving new impetus to the development of tourism and football cultural exchanges between the two regions.

In 2024, it was declared a top destination Chinese sports tourism.

In recent years, Haikou has rapidly expanded its football infrastructure, with specialized training bases for top professional teams gaining recognition from domestic and international clubs, making the city a prime choice for winter training.

The city also offers youth training facilities for competitions and development programs. As Haikou continues to develop into a free trade port, it is not only known for its unique "tropical coastal resort" appeal, but also for its open, inclusive and vibrant atmosphere. 

With its unique natural resources of 'mountains and seas', Haikou has launched health initiative throughout the city, promoting coordinated development of the program 'fitness for all', competitive sports and sports industry. The city aims to become a major hub for international sports events while creating shared urban sports spaces for residents and tourists. Thanks to its distinctive coastal environment, Haikou constantly attracts sports enthusiasts from home and abroad.

As Haikou's international reputation grows, more and more international tourists are eager to visit this charming city. Haikou plans to leverage its tourism appeal to further develop mass sports, attracting more sports fans to participate in events and encouraging them to explore the city's tourism offerings, which will foster greater integration of sports and tourism, giving new impetus to cultural and tourism consumption.

Photo: Leon Zhao Jiang