China turns ice, snow economy into new growth driver

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

By Ji Fang, Wang Liang, People's Daily

In Hebei province, a diverse range of ice and snow events are captivating visitors, while in Jilin province, tourists are flocking to witness the beauty of rime and participate in thrilling ice and snow activities. Additionally, in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, numerous ski resorts have undergone expansions and upgrades to elevate service standards, thereby enhancing the overall visitor experience.

The growing enthusiasm for winter sports in China, coupled with the rising trend of ice and snow tourism, has not only stimulated consumption growth but also fostered regional development.

On a weekend, a long line was formed by visitors waiting to take cable cars at a ski resort on Changbai Mountain in Jilin province, and Zhang Yao from Beijing, was standing in the line.

Zhang Yao developed a passion for skiing after a 2018 trip to Chongli district, Hebei, known for its thriving winter sports development. Since then, she has been hitting ski resorts every winter, leaving her footprints Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, and other places.

The booming of winter sports has significantly boosted the development of relevant industries. According to statistics, since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, 313 million people across China have engaged in ice and snow sports or related leisure activities, with 264 million participating during the 2023-2024 snow season.

Wang Yuxiong, director of the Sports Economics Research Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics, stated that with the development of social economy and the improvement of living standards, the demand for sports will stimulate consumption enthusiasm, and the ice and snow economy still has great potential.

A report showed that China's ice and snow consumption exceeded 150 billion yuan ($20.48 billion) in the 2023-2024 snow season, with 72.73 percent of winter sports participants reporting expenditure.

Since December last year, a series of winter sports events have been hosted in China, transforming the attention to the games into consumer spending. The National Ski Jumping Center, nicknamed "Snow Ruyi," hosted the FIS Ski Jumping Intercontinental Cup and women's events of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, which led to a 250 percent surge in the number of visitors from a year ago.

Nearly 140,000 people visited the Shougang Park in Beijing when it hosted the 2024-2025 FIS Snowboard & Freeski Big Air World Cup. The event led to a significant rise in local dining and accommodation consumption.

In Jilin's Beidahu Ski Resort, over 20 events have been hosted, sparking widespread enthusiasm for winter sports. In Xinjiang, the Freeride World Tour attracted over 100 top skiers from around the globe, and the hosting of a winter fishing festival and other activities has further consolidated Xinjiang's status as an ideal destination for skiing enthusiasts.

Data shows that during the 2023-2024 snow season, China recorded 430 million winter leisure and tourism trips, and this figure is expected to reach 520 million in the 2024-2025 season.

Winter tourism is embracing new experiences. Recently, a ski resort in Jilin just tried to fuse traditional Chinese culture into winter sports - skiers were seen gliding down the slopes in Peking Opera costumes.

Zhao Lanjv, the resort's general manager, noted that since the slopes opened in late November, the resort has seen a surge in visitors, with weekend attendance exceeding 5,000 people.

Traditional Chinese medicine wellness centers, China chic, and opera performances were part of the resort's efforts to enrich visitor experience and showcase China's rich cultural heritage to the world through winter sports, Zhao said.

China's winter sports industry is rapidly growing in southern cities where sustained snowfall is a rarity. Chongqing municipality in the southwest has launched over 150 ice and snow-themed activities and more than 80 winter tourism routes, spurring a wave of winter spending.

Hubei province plans to distribute 100 million yuan in cultural and tourism vouchers, covering key projects like skiing and hot springs. Meanwhile, indoor ski resorts in Guangdong province break seasonal barriers, catering to snow enthusiasts year-round.

Wang believes that as consumer demands become more personalized and diverse, the ice and snow experiences will be further expanded, creating more varied consumption scenarios.

A 2024 report on the development of China's ice and snow industry revealed that the industry has grown from 270 billion yuan in 2015 to 970 billion yuan in 2024, and will probably surpass 1 trillion yuan by 2025.

"The enthusiasm for winter sports is soaring, and with the support of favorable policies, the ice and snow economy is set to shine," Wang added, believing that this industry is a source of invaluable assets.