Sports consumption gets a policy boost, with the “Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption” highlighting key points.

Recently, the Central Office and State Council Office issued the “Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), outlining eight key areas and 30 specific tasks aimed at enhancing consumption capacity, improving supply quality, strengthening consumption willingness, and addressing prominent issues constraining consumption. This plan fully reflects a policy approach that integrates short-term and long-term strategies to coordinate consumption promotion with improving people's livelihoods, optimizing supply with expanding demand, and will effectively expand consumption demand, better leveraging the positive role of consumption in facilitating the circulation of the national economy and driving economic growth.
In this plan, eight key areas related to the sports industry—including sports events, winter tourism, camping, esports, aviation sports, cultural and sports tourism, employee sports, and cultural sports—are highlighted. These sectors have been standout performers in the sports consumption field in recent years and still hold significant untapped potential.
1. Expand cultural and sports tourism consumption
Deepening the integration of online and offline, business, tourism, culture, sports, and health-related consumption across multiple sectors, and innovating diverse consumption scenarios. Support tourist attractions and cultural institutions in expanding their service offerings, reasonably extending operating hours, and increasing reception capacity. Support local areas in increasing the supply of high-quality sports projects and distinctive sports events. Optimize the approval processes for commercial performances, sports events, and various large-scale public activities, safely and controllably increase the number of tickets available for sale, strictly enforce the content review responsibility system for the first performance location of touring projects, and implement the “one-time approval, nationwide touring” policy.

2. Promote winter sports consumption
Launch the Winter Tourism Enhancement Plan, organize winter sports consumption seasons and other consumption-promoting activities, build a batch of high-quality winter sports-themed tourist attractions and resorts, and support regions rich in winter sports resources to develop into globally renowned high-quality winter tourism destinations. Encourage localities to enrich winter sports venues and consumption product supply based on time and location.

3. Steadily advance the expansion of service sector opening-up
Expand pilot programs for opening up sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare, and education. Focus on upgrading residents' consumption needs and promote the import of high-quality lifestyle services such as healthcare and cultural entertainment. Promote the inclusion of service consumption items such as camping, homestays, property management services, and “Internet+healthcare” into the catalog of industries encouraged for foreign investment.

4. Strengthen the leading role of consumption brands
Focus on service sectors such as commerce, logistics, and cultural tourism, formulate policies to improve service quality by category, and create more Chinese service brands. Integrate excellent traditional Chinese culture into product design, support the development of original intellectual property (IP) brands, and promote consumption of animation, games, esports, and related衍生 products. Explore domestic and international growth markets for Chinese “trendy” products. Promote the first-release economy based on local conditions, encourage domestic and international high-quality goods and service brands to open flagship stores and host first-release events. Support the promotion of new consumption models and formats. Organize the “Shop in China” series of activities to create a lineup of Chinese consumption brands.

5. Support the accelerated development of new consumption models
Deeply implement the Digital Consumption Upgrade Initiative and vigorously cultivate high-quality e-commerce. Launch the “AI+” Initiative to promote “AI+ consumption,” accelerating the development and application of new technologies and products such as autonomous driving, smart wearables, ultra-high-definition video, brain-computer interfaces, robots, and additive manufacturing, and opening up new high-growth consumption sectors. Conduct a specialized campaign for health consumption. Accelerate the improvement of the low-altitude economy regulatory system and orderly develop low-altitude tourism, aviation sports, and consumer-grade drones. Continuously enrich cruise routes and tourism products, and promote the convenience of yacht registration and reporting.

6. Strengthen the supporting role of investment in consumption
Better coordinate investment and consumption, expand effective investment in consumption infrastructure, consumption service functionality upgrades, and new consumption models and formats, and promote a virtuous cycle of improved investment efficiency and expanded consumption upgrades. Central budgetary investments will be increased to support projects in education, healthcare, skills training, elderly care, childcare, culture, tourism, and sports, addressing shortcomings in public services. Support will be provided for eligible projects in consumption and cultural tourism sectors to issue Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in the infrastructure sector.

7. Improve supporting measures for consumption
Encourage trade unions at all levels to allocate funds for consumption in areas such as festival gifts, employee fitness, and cultural and sports activities. Intensify consumption assistance efforts and strengthen precise matching between production and sales. Explore the implementation of prize-winning invoice activities. Improve statistical monitoring of service consumption and new consumption models, strengthen statistics on online retail sales of physical goods by region, and improve the comprehensive consumption statistics system.

This article is reprinted from the Digital Sports Special Committee of the China Society of Technology Economics.