The fervor of the May Day holiday may have subsided, but the "provincial league effect" has fully taken over. On May 16th, the Sichuan Super League (Chuan Chao) will host a marquee match where the Zigong Dengcheng Shenlong team faces off against the Chengdu Jincheng team at home. Tickets for both rounds sold out instantly upon release. This "hard-to-get-a-ticket" frenzy has directly ignited a surge in cultural and tourism consumption across Zigong. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL (00780) shows that on match day, hotel bookings around Zigong Nanhu Sports Center saw a spike of over 60% compared to usual days. Popular hotel rooms with special offers within a 2-kilometer radius of the venue are nearly fully booked, with overall prices significantly higher than normal.
Many fans are extending their match-viewing trips into weekend mini-getaways. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data indicates that, driven by the event, search and booking popularity for scenic spots in Zigong and surrounding areas increased by 110% compared to usual days. Core attractions such as the Zigong Lantern Festival, the Salt Industry History Museum, Shenhai Well, and Rongxian Giant Buddha are particularly popular.
From the excitement on the field to the boom in tourism, the Sichuan Super League has evolved from a football tournament into a cultural and tourism phenomenon. Public statistics reveal that since the start of the 2025/2026 season, the league has attracted over 12.56 million participants across Sichuan, driving comprehensive consumption exceeding 8.178 billion yuan. Event traffic has been efficiently converted into tangible consumption growth. Behind each participating team lies a city's genuine effort to stimulate dining, accommodation, and tourism. For instance, the Liangshan competition area previously drove single-day consumption exceeding 32.88 million yuan.
To effectively translate the event's popularity into tangible cultural and tourism consumption, Sichuan Observation has partnered with TONGCHENGTRAVEL to launch the "Travel Sichuan with the Chuan Chao" series of activities. Using the league as a link, the initiative connects premium cultural and tourism resources in key host cities like Chengdu, Zigong, and Yichang. It integrates a one-stop service for "ticket purchase - hotel booking - scenic spot visits" across both the Sichuan Observation platform and the TONGCHENGTRAVEL app, ensuring fans don't leave the city "empty-handed" after the game.
Users purchasing Sichuan Super League tickets on the Sichuan Observation platform or accessing the league's dedicated page on the TONGCHENGTRAVEL app can directly book nearby hotels and scenic spot tickets, simultaneously enjoying platform-issued hotel coupons, scenic spot discounts, and travel benefit cards.
Analysis from the TONGCHENGTRAVEL Research Institute suggests that provincial-level city football leagues are no longer just competitive sports events; they have become effective levers for boosting urban cultural and tourism consumption and activating weekend and holiday economies. The league's "one city, one team, home and away" format naturally suits short-trip travel scenarios, making "match-viewing + mini-getaway" an emerging cultural and tourism consumption model. Moving forward, TONGCHENGTRAVEL will continue leveraging its platform capabilities to connect events, accommodation, and destination experiences, assisting various regions in developing new "sports + tourism" consumption scenarios.
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