In our opinion, world model cities in leisure development are cities those can make full use of its natural, historical and cultural resources to satisfy people’s leisure needs, including daily leisure activities of local people as well as the needs of tourists and holiday travelers; and the government, market and the public cooperate to provide diversified leisure facilities and services; globally famous brand as leisure cities are built; and people’s living standards and social development are advanced consequently.
The standards are following:
Firstly, the city should be able to scientifically protect and rationally utilize its natural environment, regardless seashores, lakes and rivers, deserts and swamps, to prompt leisure development. The utilization of advantages or avoidance of its weakness will greatly facilitate leisure development.
Secondly, the city should have unique and special culture features which could be used for leisure development. Cultural traditions of the city could not only serve as the base for the local leisure development but could also lead other areas in their leisure developments.
Thirdly, the city should provide comprehensive leisure functions with a rationally and reasonably planned leisure space and set of public leisure facilities. It should be able to satisfy the local citizens’ needs for daily leisure activities as well as appeals visitors.
Fourthly, the leisure industry of the city should be well developed, consisting of a complete variety of well positioned and operated commercial leisure facilities which provide top class services; the public leisure facilities, commercial leisure industry should be well complemented with each other.
Fifthly, leisure activities should be in a full variety so as to fulfill both the tourists’ and local citizens’ needs. It should be able to serve both the purposes, combine them without frictions and make sure that both demands promote but not hinder one another.
Sixthly, unique features must be highlighted during the brand building of a city and be widely acknowledged and accepted by all related bodies including the international community, target customers, relevant industries and local people.
Song Rui
Last, the city should be innovative in fields of business operation, leading the development of leisure and serving as a model for other regions.
[World Model Cities for Leisure Development, Song Rui (ed), Social Sciences Academic Press (China), 2012]