World Cup zeal rises to fever pitch

A worker in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, inflates a souvenir soccer ball for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup. Zhou Ke / Xinhua

Tencent will send a 50-member reporting team to cover the event in all 12 host cities and build a media alliance with 15 Chinese news organizations. NetEase has signed an exclusive deal to be the Chinese-language official website operator of the Brazilian and Spanish national teams.

iResearch, an Internet industry consulting agency, predicts there will be 530 million Chinese Internet users following the Cup in Brazil through digital media.

The Chinese public's fervor for the quadrennial tournament was evident at a series of promotional events.

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At the launch of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour's China leg this year, more than 500 fans packed the square at the Beijing Imperial Ancestral Temple for a close view of the prestigious trophy, and people lined up to be photographed with it.

The Beijing showcase - the second time the trophy had come to China - was the 88th stop of a 221-day, 90-country tour.

FIFA Ambassador Christian Karembeu, who participated in the Beijing event, was impressed by the Chinese fans' passion.

"To witness the love of Chinese fans for soccer and the Brazil World Cup is so inspiring. With such interest in the game, I believe China will one day make it to the final again," said the former French national team midfielder.

Despite the absence of China, World Cup-themed trips to Latin America are in demand among Chinese tourists.

China Youth Tourism Service said five groups totaling about 200 tourists had booked nine- to 12-day game-watching trips to Brazil, which previously was not a popular tourist destination for Chinese because of the long travel time and complicated visa procedures.

"There is growing market demand for World Cup tours. The limited number of qualified travel agencies that can offer packages including flights, hotel and game tickets adds to the hot demand for these trips," said Zhao Ninan, deputy director of CYTS' themed product department.

Some regular travelers might avoid trips to Latin America during the World Cup rush, but soccer fans will more than make up for them, Zhao said.

A sales rush for tourist packages to host countries of major sports events is never surprising, but the high cost of traveling to Brazil during this peak time remains a heavy burden for the average consumer, said Zhang Hui, a professor of economics and tourism at Beijing Jiaotong University.

"The flights will be fully booked early on, and the price of document processing, accommodation and transportation is expected to rise, which will further increase the cost," Zhang said in early April.

Offering game tickets from its local operators in Brazil, CYTS' two-game package including flights and accommodation costs about 100,000 yuan, almost twice as much as similar trips to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

"Whether it's worth the money to travel to Brazil during the World Cup is debatable, but I think there will be enough wealthy Chinese consumers who do it," Zhang said.

Zhang's view was echoed by Huang Zhen, a fan of Brazil from Xi'an who set aside 100,000 yuan for his one-week World Cup trip.

"I started to save money for Brazil last year. It's well worth the cost to be able to witness the tournament there," Huang said.

Meanwhile, related business sectors in China have seen a surge partially thanks to the Brazil World Cup.

In Yiwu, Zhejiang province, commodities related to the tournament have been shipped to the rest of the world for the past seven months or more.

The city, the world's largest marketplace for small commodities, has been exporting sports accessories worth more than $10 million every month since September, Yiwu customs office said.

Since September, Yiwu Xiangle Sports Goods Co has been busy receiving orders from overseas clients for caxirolas, a percussion instrument created by Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown. The caxirola is Brazil's answer to the vuvuzela, the pervasive horn blown by cheering fans at the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

By the end of April, the company had sold more than 2 million caxirolas, said Yan Zhenhua, general manager.

With high demand for flags and banners for fans, manufacturers in Zhejiang have been working at full capacity.

In Hanghzou, Donghao Flag Co started taking World Cup orders last year and its fewer than 20 workers have made about 400,000 flags. The latest shipment was delivered in April, and the company won't stop production until the tournament kicks off.

Contact the writer at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn