The organizing committee of the 2026 China Open held a tournament press conference on the 11th. Chen Jie, Executive Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the committee, stated that during the National Day holiday, the popularity of the China Open quickly translated into urban consumption vitality. As of 5 p.m. on the 11th, the tournament’s total box office revenue hit 132 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 48%, setting an all-time high. Comprehensive consumption turnover during the event is projected to exceed 55 million yuan, rising 55% year on year.

Wang Wei, lead expert of the research team at the Institute for Chinese Modernization, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, told reporters that this year’s China Open expanded its range of licensed merchandise, added new food and beverage vendors, and launched a ticket-stub benefit system partnering with merchants across the city. The tournament has evolved from a purely competitive sports venue into a consumption platform integrating culture, tourism, commerce and sports. Visitors from outside Beijing accounted for nearly 60% of attendees. Inbound foot traffic drove diversified consumption, with on-site derivative consumption outperforming ticket revenue.

According to the introduction, the total number of visitors to the National Tennis Center over the tournament period is expected to surpass 450,000, up 25% year on year, including 60% non-local spectators and nearly 10,000 overseas visitors. For six consecutive days, daily admissions exceeded 35,000, breaking the 40,000 mark on October 1 and 2. More than half of the matches at the Lotus Court and 8 out of the 12 competition days at the China Diamond Court were sold out.

In terms of catering, over 70 food outlets were set up across the venue, introducing more than 50 food brands with over 2,000 outdoor dining seats. Sales of licensed merchandise reached 28 million yuan, doubling from last year. Working with 18 entities, the tournament developed over 700 products covering trendy collectibles, cultural and creative goods, apparel and other categories. Its "China Open Zoo Series" has won wide acclaim. Based on the "Dual Olympics" 100-event assessment data from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, the 2026 China Open generated a direct economic impact of 2.59 billion yuan and an indirect economic impact of 6.671 billion yuan.

The tournament’s popularity spread across Beijing, forming a four-tier integrated scenario: core super live venues, business district tie-ins, cinema screen broadcasts and themed supporting facilities. The organizing committee built three "super live sites" at the Capital Outlets in Fangshan, the 798 Art Zone and the Water Cube, and rolled out "second-site" events at five locations including the Beijing Conference Center and Tongzhou MixC. These events attracted nearly 1.2 million visitors in total and boosted consumption by over 180 million yuan.

In addition, tournament live broadcasts were shown in cinemas for the first time; the debut screening covered more than 100 cinemas across 28 provinces and municipalities nationwide. Through government-enterprise collaboration, nearly 350 merchants joined the ticket-stub benefit program. Officially licensed fan-themed hotels and restaurants were launched for the first time: the VIP Tower of Beichen Huiyuan Hotel & Apartment recorded sales exceeding 500,000 yuan, with its occupancy rate during the National Day holiday rising 27% year on year. Quanjude Olympic Village Restaurant sold nearly 300 sets of China Open-themed products.

Wang Wei analyzed that by proactively expanding commercial formats within the venue, enriching its licensed merchandise portfolio and establishing an operating mechanism linking ticket stubs with urban commercial districts, the China Open has transformed its event IP from standalone competitive matches into a comprehensive platform featuring amateur tournaments, junior competitions and carnivals. This continuously expands its audience base and increases visitor dwell time and consumption conversion rates.

"In the medium to long term, as tennis fandom keeps growing in China and the city-linkage model of sports events matures, the share of on-site consumption will see a long-term upward trend. That said, star appeal and the holiday schedule contributed substantially to the short-term high growth. Going forward, one-off factors need to be stripped away, and the commercial operation system continuously refined to sustain the growth pattern where venue-derived consumption outpaces box office revenue," Wang Wei noted.

Source: Shanghai Securities News