Focus on snow and ice tourism as providers eye opportunities

Local tourists and leisure trips are key factors in shaping this season's domestic ice and snow tourism market, industry observers said.

Data from travel agency platform Ctrip show that more than 70 percent of bookings for ice and snow tourism products are from local residents.

That is in part due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shrunk travel distances, industry insiders said.

A more diverse and richer winter tourism offering is another reason for the localization trend in the market, which enables more people to enjoy ice and snow sports on their doorstep, they added.

According to another online travel agency, Tuniu, bookings for ice and snow tourism products are mainly sightseeing tours, which account for 58 percent of the winter orders placed on the platform; sports, which take up of 23 percent; and a combination of both, which represents a 14 percent share of the total.

Young tourists dominate the market during the snow season, China Tourism News quoted industry insiders as saying.

The post-1990 generation, referring to people born during 1990-99, prefer skiing on vacation, while the post-1980 generation tend to favor family tours. The two groups account for almost 90 percent of orders placed with China Tourism Group this season, Kang Zhengchun, an executive at the company told the Beijing-based newspaper.

Bookings by the post-2000 generation for ice and snow tourism products surged by 70 percent year-on-year, Kang added.

Ctrip data show combined bookings by the post-1990 and 2000 generations have surpassed half of the orders of tickets to ski resorts on the platform. The post-1980 generation alone contributed more than 30 percent of the total.

After the Beijing Winter Olympics, snowboarding gold medalist Su Yiming and freestyle champion skier Gu Ailing, also known as Eileen Gu, have become sporting idols among the youth, fueling interest in ice and snow sports.

There are tendencies for ski tourists to be young and increasingly professional in skill; these are the distinctive features of this year's winter tourism market, Zhou Weihong, deputy manager of Shanghai Spring International Travel Service — also known as Shanghai Spring Tour — told China Tourism News.

Consumer expenditure on learning to ski is on the rise and ski tourists are shifting spending from trying their hand at sports to investing in their hobby, a Ctrip executive said.

A considerable portion of this year's bookings of ski tourism products is from repeat customers, according to Ctrip.

Compared with previous years, tourists have higher requirements for accommodation and travel experiences this winter, Zhou said. Shanghai Spring Tour will continue enhancing cooperation with ski clubs and skiing equipment brands to create the company's signature snow season products, Zhou added.

The company will also join hands with scenic spots and ski resorts to forge a competitive edge in the skiing industry chain. In addition, it will provide professional skiing coaches and winter camps focused on families and teenagers, the executive said.

"We're optimistic about the prospects of the ice and snow tourism market and have mapped out clear plans for future development," said Kang from China Tourism Group.

The company is striving to become a one-stop skiing service center, providing premium all-around services to ski enthusiasts, Kang noted.

The company said it will continue delving into the needs of ice and snow tourism consumption; reach in-depth cooperation with more suppliers of high-quality ice and snow tourism products and popular winter tourist destinations; and enhance research and development of products combining tourism and sports, in a bid to satisfy the expectations of ice and snow tourism consumers of all ages.

Zhang Shixin, an executive of a travel company headquartered in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said: "The winter leisure tourism market has enormous potential, especially in the combination of ice and snow resources with culture and folk customs, that is where our faith in the market originates."