CHONGQING, China, Sept. 22, 2025 – The 20th China International Mountain Outdoor Sports Open took place in Wulong District, part of western China’s Chongqing Municipality, often called the nation’s “mountain city,” from September 20 to 23.
Recognized as a premier international Class A mountain outdoor sports event, this year’s competition showcased exceptional athleticism while also highlighting Wulong’s significant efforts in blending sports with its economic, cultural, and tourism industries.
Established in 2003, the event has grown into one of the most prominent outdoor cross-country competitions globally, consistently expanding in scale, raising competitive standards, and extending its international footprint. The current iteration attracted 35 elite professional teams from diverse countries and regions, such as China, New Zealand, and Australia.
By capitalizing on this high-profile event, Wulong District has consistently promoted the synergy of “sports + tourism,” thereby injecting new vitality into local development.
In recent years, aiming to become a national hub for high-quality outdoor sports, Wulong has strategically introduced various activities, including ice and snow tourism, polo, low-altitude flights, and RV camping. This approach effectively embodies the principle: “picturesque landscapes provide the backdrop, outdoor sports lead the way, and the region prospers.”
According to data from Wulong’s culture and tourism development commission, between January and August 2025, the district recorded a total of 34.94 million visitors, yielding over 15 billion yuan in total tourism revenue. Sports tourism alone contributed 6.4 million visits and 2.7 billion yuan to this comprehensive income.
As the permanent host of the China International Mountain Outdoor Sports Open, Wulong is actively cultivating an outdoor sports ecosystem that combines competition, leisure, and consumption, propelled by supportive policies, project execution, and cross-sector collaboration.
Previous efforts include launching the Wulong outdoor sports industry plan (2023-2030) and forging a strategic partnership with the mountaineering sports management center of the General Administration of Sport of China to jointly establish a mountain outdoor sports hub. Furthermore, Wulong’s innovative tourism pass policy has demonstrated remarkable success: from January to August, it drew 337,500 pass holders, resulting in 5.788 million visits to local attractions and 453.8 million yuan in revenue, indicating significant year-on-year expansion.
Moving forward, Wulong intends to broaden its integrated “outdoor +” projects to encompass “outdoor + tourism,” “outdoor + education,” and “outdoor + agriculture.” Future plans also involve introducing low-altitude tourism routes and collaborating with famous sites such as Zhangjiajie to develop an “air tourism corridor,” ultimately aiming to create a smooth consumption cycle where “participants can explore after events and shop during their travels.”
Source: The 20th China International Mountain Outdoor Sports Open
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