The 35th ITTF-ATTU Table Tennis Asian Cup will be held passionately from February 4th to 8th, 2026, at the Haikou Wuyuanhe Stadium in Hainan Province. Data from the Tongcheng Travel (00780) platform reveals that during the tournament, hotel booking popularity in the vicinity of the venue has skyrocketed by more than 150% compared to the same period last year, with the booking rate for high-star hotels within a 3-kilometer radius of the Wuyuanhe Stadium already exceeding 90%.
As the highest-level individual table tennis event in Asia, this edition has attracted 64 top players to compete in men's and women's singles events, featuring 128 matches across five competition days; the tournament also serves as a qualifier for the ITTF World Cup, making the competition exceptionally fierce.
This event marks the first time the Table Tennis Asian Cup is being held in Haikou and is also the first major international sports event hosted by the Hainan Free Trade Port following the island-wide customs closure. It not only brings together Asia's top table tennis talents but also serves as a vital window to showcase urban vitality, unleash consumption potential, and promote the deep integration of culture, sports, and tourism.
Seizing this opportunity, Haikou City will launch the "Haikou, Ping Pong is Here" Sports Consumption Carnival from February 3rd to 12th. The event will connect 18 key commercial districts, characteristic blocks, and transportation hubs across the city, focusing on four major goals: expanding sports consumption scenarios, building a赛事旅行 brand, fostering a全民参与 atmosphere, and promoting联动本地消费. It aims to create an integrated urban itinerary combining "spectating + shopping + check-ins + experiences," presenting an open, confident, and dynamic modern Haikou to the world.
Fans can use their Asian Cup tickets to exchange for various消费券 covering dining, retail, cultural creativity, and duty-free shopping at participating commercial districts, achieving "one ticket for city-wide benefits."
"The Table Tennis Asian Cup has effectively activated Hainan's cultural tourism consumption chain. Leveraging the upgraded duty-free policy benefits post-closure, the 'ticket stub economy' model introduced for this Asian Cup has yielded significant results, allowing tourists to exchange event tickets for duty-free shopping vouchers, driving simultaneous growth in both duty-free consumer traffic and spending volume. This innovation achieves the conversion of 'spectator流量' into 'duty-free consumption流量,' making the event a crucial channel for driving traffic to Hainan's duty-free economy and further solidifying its position as an international tourism consumption center," a senior analyst from the Tongcheng Research Institute stated.
It is reported that this Table Tennis Asian Cup has also drawn significant attention due to the return of Chinese national team key players Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin from injury. Both players had successively withdrawn due to injury at the WTT Hong Kong Finals in late 2025 and subsequently missed several international tournaments. Their choice of Haikou for their first competition of the new year has not only ignited the enthusiasm of fans nationwide but also directly boosted integrated demand for "spectating + tourism" travel.
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