The Sports, Leisure, and Tourism College of Beijing Sport University, the China Sports Development Research Institute, and the National Fitness Research Institute recently collaborated with Meituan Research Institute, a think tank under lifestyle services giant Meituan, to release the "Report on the Development and Trends of Outdoor Sports Consumption - From Niche Sports Experiences to a Mass Lifestyle." According to the report, the cumulative number of outdoor sports consumers in China will exceed 800 million by 2025, and the total consumption amount will surpass 1 trillion yuan (approximately 23.5 trillion yen).

Consumers were mainly aged 20-44. Female consumers accounted for 54.6%, becoming the main force in outdoor consumption. By city tier (four stages from first-tier to fourth-tier), third-tier cities (major regional cities) had the highest proportion of consumption at 23.4%. Sports experiences rapidly spread from "first-tier cities" (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, the four cities) and "second-tier cities" (provincial capitals and other regional core cities) to regional cities. "Traveling across cities for sports" became a trend, with approximately 78% of outdoor sports consumers coming from other cities.

In terms of popularity, "skiing" accounted for 91% of winter sports consumption. For land sports, "karting" (41.8%), "camping" (24.3%), and "trampolining" (14.2%) were popular in that order. In water sports, "rafting" accounted for 77.9%. Sky sports, with their rarity as an aerial experience, have become a new focal point as a trending activity, with paragliding accounting for 34.5% and skydiving 33.8% of consumption, respectively.

The number of registered outdoor sports-related stores on the Meituan platform increased from 27,000 in 2024 to 34,000 in 2025, an increase of over 7,000 stores in one year. (Source/Xinhua News Agency)