ChinaJoy closes in Shanghai with new announcements

Despite the scorching hot weather, more than 367,000 people visited ChinaJoy, Asia's top gaming fair, which closed in Shanghai on Monday, including almost 60 percent from out of town, organizers announced.

By 3pm on Monday, the number of visitors at ChinaJoy hit 367,000, with men accounting for 68 percent. As for their geographical distribution, local audiences accounted for 42 percent with the remaining 58 percent being out-of-town visitors.

A total of 743 exhibitors participated in the show, with 319 overseas enterprises, accounting for 43 percent of all exhibitors. There were nearly 8,200 overseas visitors, organizers said.

ChinaJoy has been held in Shanghai for over 20 years and this year, the four-day show was part of the Shanghai Summer campaign aimed at boosting consumption by integrating culture, commerce, sports, tourism and exhibitions.

The fusion of gaming and eSports with city landmarks, cultural tourism, dining, and shopping has attracted booming out-of-town visitors, created new hotspots and economic growth opportunities.

The show's spotlight was on eSports, which yielded a batch of announcements such as upgraded 20 policies to support Shanghai's eSports development and the holding of the latest CS:Go Major in Shanghai in December.

China's eSports industry revenue hit 69.1 billion yuan (US$9.6 billion) in the first half, growing 7.24 percent year on year, officials told a ChinaJoy eSports forum.

Shanghai is building itself into a global eSports hub by developing gaming and eSports industries, holding eSports events and building eSports venues.