Traveling fans

In downtown Nanjing, suchao fever is visible everywhere — from massive LED screens replaying game highlights, to malls running soccer-themed promotions to lure fans from the stadiums into shopping centers.

Traveling to new destinations to watch the games — a rising trend in China's tourism landscape — is helping cities like Nanjing blend sports with leisure and retail. Local authorities have launched promotions, allowing visitors to use ticket stubs for discounts at more than 400 locations.

The strategy is paying off. The first six rounds of the provincial league spurred 38 billion yuan ($5.3 billion) in consumption. Saturday's playoff quarterfinal boosted retail, dining and hospitality sales in Nanjing's key commercial areas to 870 million yuan, up 6.4 percent from last year.

"The holiday crowd has doubled, and many customers are out-of-towners here for the soccer," said Zhou Xiaozhou, owner of a bar in Nanjing. For those unable to secure match tickets, sports bars and malls with giant screens have become alternative fan hubs. "The local excitement levels are even crazier than during the World Cup," Zhou added.

Outdoor districts across Jiangsu have transformed into open-air fan zones, complete with large projection screens and hundreds of seats. In Wuxi, a lakeside commercial street famous for bars and barbecue joints boasts more than 40 big screens, ensuring no fan misses a goal while savoring the local flavors.

Host cities have also rolled out the red carpet for visitors, offering free scenic spot access to residents from rival cities. Yancheng even announced it would give out complimentary local snacks — like its signature egg pancakes — to ticket-holding fans.

"The 'ticket economy' links sports, tourism and commerce," said Si Zengchuo, a professor at Jiangsu Normal University. "It's a model for the one-stop experience — watch the match, tour the city and shop — that is now spreading nationwide."