The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province has seen remarkable progress in its sports industry, according to news released at a recent working conference.

In 2021, the total output of the sports industry in Qingdao reached 63.09 billion yuan ($9.94 billion), ranking first in Shandong. The added value of the sports industry accounted for 2 percent of the city's GDP. The city has been named as a "National Excellent Sports Industry Development City".

Participants attend a sports competition in Qingdao. [Photo/Qingdao Daily]

Qingdao's residents' total sports consumption reached 29.06 billion yuan in 2021, with per capita sports consumption reaching 2,885.35 yuan, accounting for 9.5 percent of per capita consumption expenditure and 6.1 percent of per capita disposable income, setting a new record.

The Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao has been awarded as one of the national sports tourism demonstration bases and has been selected as China's top 10 sports tourism scenic spots for four consecutive years.

According to a China sports tourism consumption big data report, Qingdao ranked third on the list of hot domestic sports tourism cities in 2021.

Local residents exercise at the Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao. [Photo/Qingdao Daily]

Last year, the city built 260 new fitness facilities and promoted the planning and construction of sports facilities in 34 mountain parks. The total length of fitness trails reaches 3,185 kilometers, and the per capita sports area of the city reaches 3.29 square meters in Qingdao.

According to local officials, the city will promote sports and exercise among its residents throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).

More efforts will be made to improve public sports venues and facilities, host more public sports events and competitions, and advance the sports industry's high-quality development.