China's ice and snow industry has continued to boom this year, with the snowy peaks in the northern parts of the country and the indoor training grounds in the south drawing a steadily growing number of visitors.
In addition to ice and snow sports enthusiasts, these venues have also attracted many foreign sports equipment brands and hospitality providers, as they race to bank on this booming industry in China.
French travel and tourism brand Club Med said the company sees tremendous potential in China's ski market, citing growing enthusiasm from first-time skiers, according to a statement the company sent to the Global Times.
Marriott International said in a statement sent to the Global Times that its hotels in Beijing's Yanqing district and Harbin, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, have rolled out special offerings that capitalize on winter and snow tourism, offering packages that bundle accommodations with ski resort access and seasonal desserts like frozen pear mousse cake.
In December, German winter sports brand Bogner hosted its first-ever on-site ski gear show in China at the Wanlong Ski Resort in the Chongli district of Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei Province, a co-host of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Surging demand
Behind foreign businesses' growing interest in China's market is the growing popularity of winter sports activities and surging demand for related products.
Liu Yu, a public relations manager with Wanlong Paradis Resort in Chongli, said the ski resort's visitor numbers have been steadily increasing over the past few years. This season has been the strongest yet, with the number of visitors rising by around 15 percent compared to that of last year.
"China's unique industry landscape has ensured such a fast growth rate. This season, we've seen a significant influx of newcomers - skiers who trained at indoor facilities in the south and are now eager to experience real snow," Liu said. "They have spent the summer practicing, and now that winter has arrived, they want to ski on real snow."
"They are newcomers, but they have substantial spending power," Liu said, adding that these consumers have a high demand for high-quality, customized ski gear and equipment.
Across China, according to a recent report by the China Tourism Academy, a total of 520 million visitors are expected to participate in ice and snow leisure tourism in the 2024-25 season, with expected tourism revenue topping 630 billion yuan ($86.88 billion). The forecast is markedly higher than 430 million in the number of visitors and 524.7 billion yuan in revenue recorded in the 2023-24 season.
He Wenyi, a deputy director of the National Sports Industry Research Base at Peking University, said that the rapid expansion of China's ice and snow sports consumer base over the past two years has presented Chinese and foreign companies with unprecedented and unique business opportunities.
French multi-specialist sports brand Decathlon said that it has seen rising demand for a variety of winter sports gears at its stores in China since 2023.
"Thanks to the maturity of Chinese artificial snowfield technology, the continuous improvement of supporting facilities, and the balanced development of various levels of the sports population, we believe that the future growth rate of China's skiing market will exceed that of the global market," Liu Meng, director oversees the development of winter sports with Decathlon, told the Global Times.
"According to Decathlon's sales data, for the 2023-2024 snow season alone, China's snowboard market share ranks first in the world, demonstrating immense potential," Liu said.
Greater opportunities
Meanwhile, as China continues to boost the development of the ice and snow industry, there will be greater opportunities for foreign businesses, He said.
The popularity of winter sports in China has also been augmented by the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games, which will take place in Harbin, from February 7 to 14. In addition, relevant Chinese authorities have been stepping up support to ensure people enjoy better access to snow and ice resorts.
In Harbin, the China Railway Harbin Group launched six more high-speed trains and six more normal-speed trains as a designated passenger train service for winter tourists and the Asian Games spectators to link the provincial capital and the Yabuli ski resort, Heilongjiang, the railway operator said in a statement sent to the Global Times. Yabuli will host the cross-country skiing competitions for the upcoming 2025 Asian Winter Games.
Harbin has already become a national sensation for its booming ice and snow industry. Between its opening day on December 21 and January 26, the Harbin Ice &Snow World received 2 million visitors, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Nationally, China aims to expand its ice and snow economy into a 1.2 trillion yuan industry by 2027, with better infrastructure, markedly improved services, and enhanced national competitiveness in those sports, according to State Council guidelines issued in November 2024.
The guidelines called for promoting youth participation in ice and snow sports, enhancing infrastructure and the industrial chain, and the creation of leading enterprises in the sector by building on the momentum of involving 300 million Chinese in ice and snow sports annually.
Moreover, localities, including those in South China, have also been stepping up efforts to boost the ice and snow sector.
Southern Chinese cities' investment in ice and snow infrastructure such as indoor facilities have helped churned out consumers in massive members - a trend that will continue in coming years. Given China's large population base and the stagnation of ski markets in the US and Europe, China is poised to become the world's largest ice and snow sports market, according to He.
The fact that China's vast market and everchanging consumer trends have constantly provided a stage for an increasing number of foreign companies also underlined the partiality of some western media reports claiming that the Chinese market is losing allure, He said.
Highlighting the unwavering allure of China's market for foreign businesses, Club Med said that its three ski resorts in Northeastern China, including one at Yabuli, directly benefited from the new trend of growing enthusiasm from first-time skiers, as consumers tend to pack their skiing experience with accommodation, catering, spa and sightseeing activities offered at the hotels.
