A Rugao cultural and sports tourism promotion campaign is held. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

During the 2024 Chinese Super League on May 5, Nantong Zhiyun, a football club based in Rugao, clashed with Changchun Yatai on their home turf, eliciting much excitement among fans. To capitalize on this momentum, the Rugao kicked off its cultural and sports tourism promotion campaign.

Various stalls featuring Rugao specialty products such as tiger-head shoes are set up outside the Rugao Olympic Sports Center. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Outside the stadium, nearly 50 stalls dazzled with a variety of local delicacies and specialty products. Visitors were treated to an array of delights such as scented sachets, pork head meat slices, fish balls, tofu, yellow rice wine, and dough figurines. The marketplace buzzed with excitement as attendees indulged in the cultural treasures.

Rugao offered a slew of consumption discounts and distributed 1,666 vouchers to visitors.

Football has injected renewed vigor into Rugao, the only city in Jiangsu province with a Chinese Super League team. Last year, a home game attracted an average attendance of 18,000 spectators per match. During matchdays, local accommodations and dining establishments experienced unprecedented demand. The city welcomed nearly 13 million tourists in 2023 alone, including over 1.58 million overnight stays, marking a historic milestone in tourism figures.

People visit the stalls to buy local products of Rugao. [Photo/Nantong Daily]