October 1 to October 5, hotels and guesthouses at the Jiaxing Canal Culture Provincial Tourist Resort were fully booked!

"It was mainly driven by sporting events," Shen Yuxiang, deputy general manager of Wenchuan Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd., told reporters. During the National Day holiday, two youth events鈥攖he 2026 Fourth "Rising East Cup" Youth (U12-U13) Football Confederation Cup and the "Changhong Cup" Youth Invitational鈥攚ere both scheduled from October 1 to October 5. These two events alone attracted about 1,200 players and coaches. In addition, on October 3 and October 4, the second round of group matches in the "Zhejiang Super League" kicked off. "During the National Day holiday, not only were the park's venues basically at full capacity, but event-driven demand filled all three major hotels in the resort鈥攖he Changhong Football Theme Hotel, the Canal Hotel, and the Berritt Hotel," Shen Yuxiang said. "Demand for related rooms has already spilled over to other towns."

In addition, reporters learned that Kaisen Tribe in the resort was basically fully booked, and the Pipa Island wooden cabins were booked out early. During this long holiday, Xiuzhou was "lodging" to keep visitors coming.

Driven by event traffic, hotels and guesthouses in the resort planned ahead, optimized services, and rolled out targeted event-support measures to make "one person plays football, the whole family takes a vacation" more comfortable.

Walking into the Jiaxing Changhong Football Theme Hotel, football elements are visible everywhere in the lobby, corridors, and guest rooms. As Jiaxing's first football-themed specialty hotel, since officially opening in August this year, it has naturally become the core reception hotel for various events at the Grand Canal Sports and Culture Park thanks to its convenience of "stepping out the door and onto the pitch." This National Day, young football players wearing team jerseys of various colors were the hotel's most beautiful scenery.

A person in charge of the hotel said that in order to adapt to the characteristics of youth teams checking in in groups, the hotel sorted out group reception procedures in advance, opened exclusive check-in channels for teams, simplified centralized check-in and check-out procedures for dozens of teams, and reduced waiting time. Considering the needs of young players after exercise, guest rooms added storage space for placing football boots, shin guards, and other equipment. The food and beverage section specially customized nutritious meals for athletes, balancing meat and vegetables and carbohydrate replenishment, set up separate meal windows, and staggered team dining peaks. The hotel also reserved meeting rooms for teams' pre-match tactical discussions and post-match reviews.

The Jiaxing Canal Hotel, as a long-established hotel in the resort, was naturally also a "main force" in event support. "To make it convenient for participating teams to check in and prepare for competitions, we adjusted the layout of both the first and second floors," said Shen Hongjian, general manager of the Jiaxing Canal Hotel. The hotel added gym facilities to facilitate players' post-match stretching and recovery; it not only reserved meeting rooms but also added laundry room equipment to save time for participating players. In addition, the hotel renovated the buffet dining area so that it could fully meet the needs of teams dining together in groups. Shen Hongjian said: "The hotel's food and beverage support team will carefully prepare meals according to the characteristics of the participating teams, such as their place of origin and age range, balancing local tastes with Jiaxing specialty dishes, so that participating teams can eat well, sleep well, and conserve energy to play well." Shen Hongjian admitted that since the beginning of this year, room nights brought by events have accounted for 25% of total occupied rooms. "For October to November, the short-term share is expected to exceed 75%."

Another high-end resort hotel in the resort鈥攖he Jiaxing Canal Berritt Hotel鈥攚ith its Jiangnan garden courtyard features, also achieved full occupancy this National Day. On the one hand, the hotel accommodated ordinary tourists, while also providing support for major events. The hotel has extensive experience in event reception and, through measures such as coordinating with event organizing committees, arranging rooms in batches, and reserving contiguous room blocks, it ensured that participants could check in without worries. At the same time, the hotel also launched canal-flavored meals, making "one person plays football, the whole family takes a vacation" more enjoyable. "This time we came to compete, and the whole team is staying here. The hotel is very close to the venue, meal times are flexible, supporting facilities are complete, and all aspects were considered thoughtfully. The experience was excellent," said a coach of an out-of-town participating team.

Events bring traffic, and supporting services retain guests. To handle major event crowds, the Jiaxing Canal Culture Provincial Tourist Resort has built a multi-level accommodation system, ranging from professional football-themed hotels and local business hotels to garden resort hotels and specialty guesthouses, covering multiple scenarios such as team training, family spectating, and leisure vacations. Hotels and guesthouses no longer simply provide guest rooms; instead, they actively connect with events, provide front-loaded services, embed accommodation support into the entire event process, and enhance participants' experience with considerate service.

One event activates an entire industrial chain. During the National Day holiday, as events at various levels and of various types, including the "Zhejiang Super League," the "Rising East Cup," and the "Changhong Cup," landed at the Grand Canal Sports and Culture Park, a steady stream of visitors drove growth in accommodation, catering, and cultural tourism consumption, becoming a vivid microcosm of the resort's continuously warming "event economy." With football events as the link, accommodation, catering, and cultural tourism formats worked together, and Wangjiangjing Town continued to strengthen the overnight economy along the canal, retaining both popularity and prosperity.