Tourists take a rest at a cafe in Talat Village in Koktokay in Fuyun County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)
BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Since the onset of winter, there has been a surge of ice and snow-themed new products and new scenes across different regions in China, enriching people's daily life and driving rapid growth in ice and snow consumption.
Ice and snow-related industries has now become a growth point in the winter consumer market and heated the local economy.
-- Facilitating integrated development
Ice and snow sports are incredibly popular, said Feng Kai, executive deputy general manager of the Koktokay International Ski Resort in Fuyun County of Altay Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Feng said since the ski resort opened on October 1 last year, it has been welcoming around 2,000 visitors per day, surpassing 100,000 visitors in total.
China's ice and snow tourism and consumption are undergoing rapid growth. The development plan for the tourism sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period advocated the aggressive promotion of ice and snow tourism and the improvement of the infrastructure for ice and snow tourism services.
According to the plan, China will accelerate the integration of ice and snow tourism with ice and snow sports, culture, and equipment manufacturing, and establish several national ski tourism resorts and ice and snow tourism bases.
Feng also noted that the resort has invited professionals to provide pre-job training for all the employees, resulting in significant service enhancements.
In recent years, Altay has invested over 7 billion yuan in constructing 10 alpine cross-country, and off-piste ski resorts, and developed four major international ski resorts.
Li Yuanhao, deputy director of the prefecture's bureau of culture, sports, radio, television, and tourism, said that Altay is accelerating the construction of ice and snow projects, with a total investment of 550 million yuan in 2023.
Data from Meituan Dianping reveals that user searches for skiing posted a substantial year-on-year surge in November last year, and group-buying orders for ski tickets increased 788 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
Data from Ctrip showed a 113 percent week-on-week surge in orders for skiing tickets reserved until the end of last year, nearly doubling from the same period of 2022. The number of bookings for skiing-themed group tours saw a weekly increase of about 70 percent, marking a rise of nearly 30 percent compared to the same period last year.
Ice and snow sports have driven the sales of related products. On the e-commerce platform Dewu, in the first week of December last year, user searches for skiing surged 14 times compared to the same period of 2022. The sales of skiing equipment, including skiing clothing and skiing shoes, continued the significant month-on-month rise. Notably, the sales of skiing clothing soared by over 120 percent year on year, the sales of skiing goggles increased by 310 percent year on year, and the number of snowboard orders increased by 130 percent year on year compared to the same period of 2022.
-- Enhancing ice-snow consumption
In this winter season, Suibin County in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province continues to enrich and enhance ice and snow consumption experience by the way of "tourism + ice and snow + competition", setting off an upsurge of all people participating in ice and snow sports, fitness and tourism.
Wang Hongxin, director of the Harbin municipal bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism, introduced that Harbin would host hundreds of ice-and-snow activities to promote tourism in this winter season.
From November 8, 2023 to February 28, 2024, Heilongjiang Province will carry out the 100-day action for winter ice and snow tourism, launching 60 specific measures to transform the advantages of ice and snow resources into the advantages of the tourism market, and build Heilongjiang into an international ice and snow tourism resort.
To better cater to skiing enthusiasts from all over the country, Altay is making efforts in both hardware and software aspects this year.
In terms of hardware, the prefecture continues to improve reception facilities, which includes regular snow and ice removal on main roads, preventive measures against snow disasters and avalanches, establishing a green channel for medical assistance in ski resorts, and facilitating direct transportation from Altay airport and train station to ski resort.
At the same time, hotels are encouraged to establish their service vehicles through purchase or leasing. Each ski resort is also accelerating the enhancement of service facilities by opening 34 branded ski equipment stores, and introducing on-site services from SF Express, Deppon, China Post, and others. They are also launching specialty restaurants, beverage shops, supermarkets, and specialty stores to meet the diverse needs of tourists.
In terms of enhancing service standards, Altay has conducted vocational skills training for practitioners in the tourism industry, involving 4,119 people in 12 occupations such as ski instructors, room service, and Chinese cuisine.
-- Combining ice-snow resources with cultural elements
Integrating ice and snow resources with local cultural elements, some regions have developed distinctive ice and snow tourism products, which have led to a more pronounced empowering effect, yielding a stronger driving force.
Dai Rui, general manager of Harbin Polar Park, mentioned that as of early December in this winter season, the number of visitors has surged by 212 percent compared to the same period of 2022, contributing to a 224 percent increase in revenue. The supporting facilities in surrounding hotels and a range of cultural and creative products have collectively stimulated local economic growth.
Ice and snow consumption and ice and snow sports have boosted the popularity of local homestays and hot spring hotels. According to Meituan's data, the booking volume of hot spring hotels before 2024 New Year's Day has surged by 250 percent compared to the same period last year, and the demand for hotel rooms during holidays is even higher, with many rooms already reserved well in advance.
Ice and snow sports and ice and snow consumption have become a normalized and fashionable lifestyle for many consumers, said Liu Min, a professor at the Tourism College of Beijing Union University, adding that it is important to keep up with the trend of demand and further expand ice and snow consumption.
Liu said that "ice and snow" is no longer exclusive to consumers in the northern regions. The construction of large indoor ice and snow commercial complexes in cities such as Guangzhou, Kunming, Chongqing, and Chengdu signifies the national release of ice and snow consumption potential, which will drive the better development of related industries.
Data shows that in November last year, user searches for "indoor skiing" in Guangdong surged by 295 percent year on year.
There is a huge potential for high-quality and diverse ice and snow consumption demand to grow. According to the China Tourism Academy's Report on China's Ice and Snow Tourism Development (2023), by the end of the 2024-2025 ice and snow season, China's ice and snow leisure tourism sector is expected to receive over 520 million visitors, with its revenue exceeding 720 billion yuan.
With the construction of ski tourism resorts as an important focus, the country will continue its efforts to promote the expansion of ice and snow consumption, said an official from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. (Edited by Yang Yifan with Xinhua Silk Road, yangyifan@xinhua.org)
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