China’s State Council has unveiled an ambitious plan to grow its ice-and-snow economy, targeting winter sports, tourism and equipment manufacturing as key drivers of economic growth, with a projected value of 1.5 trillion yuan (some 207 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.Inspired by the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, more and more Chinese citizens are embracing winter sports, with the sport’s popularity in the country more than doubled, according to the China Ski Industry White Book.Excalibur Liu, a 36-year-old ski enthusiast, frequently visits Cuiyunshan Ski Resort in Chongli, a district in Zhangjiakou City in Hebei Province.”For me, it was love at first sight. About 10 years ago, I experienced skiing in Beijing for the first time, since my hometown is in the warm southwest region of China where it rarely snows in winter. And many people like us are very addicted to winter sports and skiing can bring us excitement and passion. It can also provide a new way to hang out with families and friends,” said Liu.Zhang Dongxu, manager of the ski resort, who also entered the industry a decade ago, has witnessed the industry’s remarkable transformation. “In the past, our ski resorts focused on purely the sports. But as people’s pursuits have shifted from material to spiritual, there is now a greater demand for emotional experiences,” said Zhang.Zhang’s resort saw a 70-percent increase in number of visitors during the last skiing season. He attributed the surge in skiers to infrastructure improvements from the 2022 Winter Olympics and emphasized the importance of continued government support for winter sports programs in schools.For 28-year-old Wang Xiaoxu, a Chongli native, the growing ski industry has made a big difference. Previously, her parents had to leave town for work. Now, local job opportunities allow families to stay together. “This means none of us have to experience being left-behind children. We can stay close to our parents. I feel the ski resort has greatly impacted our lives in many positive ways,” Wang said.To meet the 207-billion-dollar goal by 2030, the industry needs to maintain an annual growth rate of around 7.5 percent, which may be challenging given broader economic conditions. Laurent Vanat, an international ski industry expert, pointed out that the ski market’s growth is not always directly tied to economic trends, and that some regions have been able to ride out the worst impacts of any financial crises. “The growth of the ski market is not necessarily directly connected to the economic growth. We have seen this, even when there are some economic downturns like the 2008 crisis. In the ski resorts, they [still] had a very good season, especially in some provinces. For instance, in Xinjiang there is an important growth and in Jilin Province, there is also an important growth,” he said.
China sets sights on 207 billion USD winter sports economy
A China Pavilion officially opened on
Dom. Dic 22nd, 2024
