The 36th Tourism Naadam Festival kicked off in the Xilin Gol League of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Saturday, blending traditional nomadic sports with modern tourism to boost the region's summer economy.
Naadam, usually held in mid-summer and sometimes in winter in pastoral areas of Inner Mongolia, means "games" in the Mongolian language.
It often comprises wrestling, archery, and horse racing, also known as the "Three Games of Men."
This year's event features these classic competitive events alongside cultural heritage experiences, folklore activities, and grassland cuisine.
To encourage deeper visitor engagement, organizers have also introduced interactive programs including a tourist triathlon, a youth Naadam, and family activities.
"We happened to catch the Naadam festival, and we came all the way from Dalian. We want to watch the horse racing and wrestling matches," said a tourist surnamed Teng.
Since 2024, the latest three editions of the Naadam festival have collectively received over six million tourist visits, generating 4.1 billion yuan (about 605 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, with overall visitor numbers and consumption showing steady year-on-year growth.
The core event runs from Saturday to Monday while related activities will go on until late August.
"The three-day Naadam festival is expected attract about 600,000 tourists to the league, up 20 percent from the previous year, which will boost Xilin Gol's summer economy. The Naadam festival itself is a massive cultural and tourism IP. Traveling for the Naadam festival drives spending across the services of accommodation, dining, transport, shopping, and entertainment," said He Mingjian, director of the bureau of culture, sports, tourism, radio, film and television of the Xilin Gol League.
36th Naadam festival opens in Inner Mongolia
