China's 15th National Games is fueling tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), as visitors are there not only for the sports but are also exploring the cities.
For some competing teams, their event tickets also grant them access to the parks, harbors and iconic landmarks in Shenzhen, Guangdong, where competition days become a several-day tour.
"We're here to watch the National Games in Shenzhen, where we'll visit Lotus Mountain Park, Happy Harbor, and the Eye of the Greater Bay Area. As Guangdong is one of the host cities of the Games, we're very proud and welcome everyone to join us in the Greater Bay Area for the events," said Lai Xiaoheng, a tourist from Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong.
For the first time, Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong and the Macao special administrative regions have teamed up to host the National Games, and the excitement is palpable as tickets for many popular events sold out within seconds.
"Driven by sports-themed tour groups, the number of travel packages in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is expected to increase by about 30 percent in November 2025 compared to the previous year,"said Guan Jian, director of Communications, GZL International Travel Service.
From scenic spots to local hotels and restaurants, the Games are driving a surge in dining and spending.
"During the National Games, our restaurant has seen a 30 percent increase in customer flow. The event has attracted many new visitors from across the country and beyond to Happy Harbor, and we are thrilled to be one of the main businesses benefiting from this surge," said Xu Hailun, founder of the Lounge Bridge.
"The National Games are providing a major boost to our region's tourism and hospitality industry. For our hotel, this has translated into an 18 percent year-on-year occupancy increase during the event period, with our most popular rooms often selling out on key weekends," said Ye Changlin, president of Skytel Shenzhen Shekou.
The National Games is China's largest multi-sport event. Running from Nov 9 to 21, The 15th National Games have attracted over 14,000 elite athletes from across the nation.
Shenzhen will host the closing ceremony of the Games.
15th National Games fuels tourism in Greater Bay Area
15th National Games fuels tourism in Greater Bay Area
An exchange program between China and France has provided thousands of French students with the opportunity to attend Chinese universities over the past year, giving them a comprehensive and multidimensional view of the country through their studies.
In 2024, China proposed an initiative aimed at bringing the total number of French students in China to more than 10,000 and doubling the number of young Europeans on exchange programs to China within the next three years.
Then, in June of that year, the education ministries of China and France jointly launched the Young Envoys Scholarship (YES) program during the first China-France Education Development Forum held in Paris.
Among the students to take advantage of the program is Mathis Champaigne, a French master's exchange student from the Institute of Higher Electronic Education (ISEP) in Paris. Through YES, he arrived at the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) this September for a five-month study program.
According to the student, the program offered a valuable opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) from renowned scholars.
"In this country, you are very advanced in this AI field and so you have a lot of researchers, a lot of universities, very involved in this AI research. So for me that was an opportunity to learn from a great professor in a great university," Champaigne said.
Currently, 29 French students from seven French universities are studying at HUST across various majors, for periods ranging from two weeks to a full academic year. For some, a short-term exchange can give way to deeper ambitions.
"I want to extend my semester and stay longer because I feel like here the campus is made for students to have good experience while studying," said another YES program participant of HUST, an undergraduate student from the University of Strasbourg.
Since the initiative was proposed over a year ago, more than 8,300 French students have come to China for exchanges and studies, helping to spur a broader trend across Europe, with about 32,000 students from across the continent having chosen to undertake exchange programs in China.
The program also partners with other Chinese institutions, including the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), where exchange students have had similarly successful experiences.
"So, the YES program is a really good program to study abroad and you can choose many different topics and minors. I think that's the best way to see China," said Paul Ferrigno, another YES program participant of ECUST, a graduate student from Montpellier Higher College of Chemistry.
"And engineers in the future, they will have to see by themselves how this country is changing very quickly, how this country is very good in innovation, research, technology, and finally how China is addressing global warming and sustainable development," said Jacques Mercadier, French dean of the International Elite Engineering School of ECUST.
Exchange program fosters China-France partnership in talent cultivation
