Wu Jinmei, Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
In recent years, the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports — collectively referred to as "CCTS" — has demonstrated sustained vitality and strong momentum. This integration is expanding and deepening through practical exploration, generating new supply and adapting to new demands. These initiatives are quietly reshaping people's leisure and travel activities while gradually giving rise to new consumption models.
Identifying and serving niche demands. Travel agencies are identifying emerging niche needs and tailoring products accordingly. For young adults, they offer "Citywalk + Scripted Entertainment" detective tours; for families, "Nature Discovery + Birdwatching Hiking" camps; and for art enthusiasts, "Private Gallery Tours + Art Appreciation" experiences. These products are themselves the result of deep CCTS integration — an upgrade of customized travel services that genuinely bridges the supply side of culture, commerce, and sports with the demands of travelers. Some agencies also leverage short videos, live streaming, and KOL site visits to bring the highlights of CCTS-integrated offerings directly to potential consumers, sparking new market demand.
Fostering multi-ecosystem communities. Communities where culture, commerce, tourism, and sports coexist — such as urban theme districts, town living spaces, and resort towns — are increasingly popular. These well-equipped, functionally integrated communities have become fashionable choices for both urban leisure and vacation getaways. Real estate development, urban renewal, and the revitalization of historic towns, conceived around community living spaces, provide the foundational conditions for clustering CCTS sectors. Operators integrate functions on the ground, while service providers deliver meticulous services. With the ideal lifestyle as a blueprint, these living spaces have become a modern utopia, gradually shaping a new paradigm of daily life.
Driving real estate project transformation. Cultural architecture acts as a powerful symbol that attracts foot traffic, while high-quality cultural events — such as concerts, theater festivals, literary events, and art exhibitions — continuously infuse spaces with vitality and conversation, turning "pilgrimages" into "permanent stays." Many small towns, villages, historic districts, and neighborhoods that offer artistic ambiance, convenient living, and shared enjoyment have become popular hubs for leisure tourism.
The integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports is a critical measure for supply-side structural reform and service innovation aimed at boosting consumption. As a key strategy for promoting high-quality economic development and fulfilling people's aspirations for a better life, its significance extends far beyond individual industries. Through deep integration across sectors, spaces, and services, CCTS integration transforms the vitality of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports into a tangible, accessible, and enjoyable "everyday happiness," ensuring that the benefits of development reach all people more fairly and equitably. It represents an important pathway to meeting the growing needs of the people for a better life and enhancing public well-being.
The integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports is a systematic endeavor with multiple strategic implications, a comprehensive innovation of the Chinese model involving diverse stakeholders. It serves not only as an economic engine to stimulate consumption and cultivate new growth points but also as a comprehensive tool to optimize industrial structure, shape city brands, renew urban spaces, and improve people's livelihoods. It is emerging as a vital lever driving high-quality development in the context of Chinese-style modernization.
Published in Social Sciences Weekly, May 28, 2026