Ice, snow economy heats up in China as ski season starts strong

An enthusiast enjoys skiing at Songhua Lake Resort, a national-level ski resort, in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

As winter arrives, ski resorts across China have opened, signaling a strong start to the 2025-2026 ski season and fueling a boom in ice and snow tourism.

This year's ski season arrived early in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province. On Oct. 21, Wanlong Ski Resort opened its slopes to the public, marking the start of Chongli's 2025-2026 season and the resort's earliest-ever opening. The resort also offered more trails than on any previous opening day.

Wang Yue, a skiing enthusiast from Beijing who had never visited Chongli, couldn't contain his curiosity and decided to check it out. "It takes just over an hour from Beijing's Qinghe Station to reach Chongli's Taizicheng Station," Wang said. He found that station staff had received enhanced guidance to ensure that ski equipment loading would not delay departures or compromise passenger safety. Shuttle buses were waiting at the station to transport visitors directly to the ski resort.

Chongli is home to nine ski resorts, including Genting, Thaiwoo, Fulong and Wanlong, which feature a total of 219 ski trails spanning 178 kilometers. Sixteen trails have received certification from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Last season, Chongli received 5.24 million tourist visits. This season, ski resorts are introducing new offerings that integrate skiing with entertainment, family activities and competitions.

Meituan Travel data shows that since the second week of November 2025, searches for "skiing in Chongli" have surged 169 percent year on year, with the skiing boom driving a 25 percent increase in tourism bookings for Zhangjiakou in late November.

Several ski resorts across northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region opened in November. On Nov. 15, the Silk Road International Ski Resort in Urumqi, the regional capital, attracted over 8,000 visitors on its opening day.

Tourists participate in ice and snow recreational activities in Arxan city, Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Photo/Wang Zheng)

Since November, flight bookings from major Chinese cities to ice and snow tourism destinations — including Harbin, the Changbai Mountains, Urumqi, Altay and Hulun Buir — have risen rapidly, according to a report on ice and snow tourism trends for the 2025-2026 ski season issued by the Tongcheng Research Institute, affiliated with online travel agency Tongcheng Travel.

Various measures have been taken to promote the high-quality development of winter sports and further boost the ice and snow economy.

Wanlong Ski Resort in Chongli has undergone a large-scale upgrade of its trails and built four halfpipes to provide dedicated terrain for advanced skiers.

"We've upgraded and expanded our night skiing program, adding at least two more trails. We also used snow cannons to create two new backcountry valleys," said Liu Yu, director of promotion at Wanlong Ski Resort.

For the 2025-2026 ski season, Chongli will host nearly 100 skiing competitions. Additionally, activities such as circus shows, puppet shows, musicals and electronic music performances will be held at various ski resorts to cater to visitors' diverse recreational needs.

From winter 2025 through March 2026, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will leverage major ski resorts, ice and snow facilities, and A-level scenic areas to roll out 159 cultural and tourism activities, 45 premium routes, and 48 sporting events.

In China's southern regions, facilities including dry ski slopes and indoor ski resorts have ensured year-round access to winter sports, creating new leisure options.

Qianhai Snow World in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest indoor ski facility, began operations on Sept. 29 and now receives over 5,000 skier visits daily.

Spanning approximately 100,000 square meters, the facility is equipped with five professional ski trails and features a maximum vertical drop of 83 meters.

On Nov. 15, the 11th National Public Ice and Snow Season (Zhejiang leg) and the 2025 Zhejiang Provincial Ice and Snow Sports Fitness Season kicked off at Taihu Lake Longemont Ice World in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The event features a diverse range of activities and performances.

As part of the National Public Ice and Snow Season, the event breaks geographic constraints on winter sports, enabling residents in China's southern regions to enjoy ice and snow activities close to home.

According to a report on China's ice and snow industry development for 2025, the size of the country's ice and snow industry is expected to surpass 1 trillion yuan ($141.45 billion) in 2025.

Consumer spending has risen sharply. During the 2024-2025 ski season, participation and related consumption exceeded 187.5 billion yuan, up more than 25 percent year on year. Ski resort spending across the country reached 78.61 billion yuan, while consumption within 2 kilometers of ski resorts grew 27.97 percent, giving a strong boost to local retail, transport and dining businesses, according to the report.