Ice, snow tourism heats up across China, drawing global visitors

The growing popularity of ice and snow tourism is driving consumption upgrading and industrial integration across China, epitomizing the country's efforts to expand high-standard opening-up and promote high-quality economic development.

The final of the 2025/26 International Ski Federation (FIS) Freeski Halfpipe World Cup season took place at Genting Snow Park in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou city, north China's Hebei Province, on Dec. 13, 2025. Overseas visitors flocked to watch the competition and experience winter sports firsthand.

Photo shows a scene from the women's qualification round of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Freeski Halfpipe World Cup in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou city, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 11, 2025. (People's Daily/Shao Yuzi)

In Chongli, world-class facilities and comprehensive services offer professional athletes a stage to showcase their talents, while also enabling ordinary tourists to fully enjoy winter sports.

On the beginner slope at Fulong Ski Resort in Chongli, instructor Zhu Shuze taught protective techniques to a 12-year-old girl from Malaysia. After just a few attempts, she grasped the technique. "Skiing is so much fun. I'm happy every day I'm here," she said.

This ski season, multiple ski resorts in Chongli have launched accommodation-inclusive ski packages. The Malaysian girl's family booked a five-day, four-night package in advance, which covered accommodation, ski tickets, coaching, and equipment rental. This was more than 50 percent cheaper than purchasing items separately. "Such packages are especially friendly for overseas tourists. You don't have to worry about anything," she said.

What impressed her most was the thoughtful, end-to-end service. Free shuttle buses transport visitors directly from the high-speed railway station to local ski resorts. Professional coaches provide on-slope guidance, allowing even beginners to quickly experience the joy of winter sports.

Norwegian athletes pose for a group photo at Wanlong Ski Resort in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou city, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Zhaoming)

In recent years, Chongli has positioned the ice and snow sector as its leading industry, with a commitment to building a world-class skiing destination. The district currently boasts nine international-standard ski resorts, including Wanlong, Genting and Thaiwoo, with 219 slopes totaling 178 kilometers, making it one of China's largest skiing clusters.

Leveraging its comprehensive ice and snow infrastructure, Chongli actively hosts major international competitions while upgrading its tourism offerings. "During the 2024-2025 ski season, we hosted 25 international and national-level snow sports events," said Wu Yan, deputy head of Chongli district. For the new ski season, the local government has strengthened its support in transportation, catering and safety, while continuously optimizing the environment and enhancing the visitor experience.

Beyond winter sports, Chongli continues to expand its tourism portfolio, offering diverse, year-round leisure experiences. It has launched more than 30 new business forms, catering to tourists of different interests and age groups.

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in northeast China's Jilin Province recently launched the 2025-2026 ski season. International visitors can enjoy ice and snow games such as snow tug-of-war and ring toss, and participate in interactive performances including ethnic song-and-dance flash mobs and guitar shows. They can also appreciate intangible cultural heritage crafts such as paper-cutting, ironwork and sugar figurines, and savor specialty dishes like ginseng chicken soup. The deep integration of ice and snow landscapes with ethnic culture offers visitors rich and immersive experiences.

Foreign skiing enthusiasts participate in the Vasaloppet China Changchun Jingyuetan International Ski Festival in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo courtesy of the Working Committee of the Communist Party of China of Changchun Jingyue High-tech Industrial Development Zone)

From January to November 2025, inbound and outbound passenger trips through Yanbian's ports totaled 1.25 million, with 731,000 trips by foreign tourists, accounting for 58.4 percent of the total.

In Toushan village, Antu county of the prefecture, a group of tourists from Singapore were enjoying hot pot in a snow house. Ten years ago, the village was an obscure mountain hamlet. In recent years, as comprehensive rural revitalization has advanced, this border village has become a popular winter tourism destination.

Since 2024, Jilin Province has held promotional activities in Russia, Japan, South Korea, France and other countries, with its high-quality cultural and tourism resources attracting attention from tourism agencies and media worldwide.

Today, many international tourists flock to ski resorts in Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. In December 2024, the prefecture's culture and tourism bureau held a special promotion event in the provincial capital Kunming targeting South and Southeast Asia. The event invited diplomatic missions and Chinese and foreign travel agencies, and leveraged overseas social media platforms to showcase Diqing's ice and snow wonders and folk culture.

Tourists enjoy themselves at the Potatso scenic area in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/He Taijun)

Diqing has also integrated ice and snow tourism with folk customs, photography and intangible cultural heritage, upgrading its winter tourism sector from simple sightseeing into an immersive experience.

In recent years, Diqing has continuously attracted Southeast Asian tourists, with visitor numbers maintaining steady annual growth of around 30 percent. In 2025, monthly tourist visits reached 10,000, said Wang Lijun, deputy general manager of Potatso Tourism Branch of Diqing Prefecture Tourism Group Co., Ltd.

At Jiangjun Mountain International Ski Resort in Altay city, Altay Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an Austrian ski instructor glides lightly down the slope, followed by a group of Chinese students.

The ski resort, situated within the urban area, attracts domestic and international skiing enthusiasts with its convenient location and superior slope conditions. "The slope layout here is professional, with steep and gentle runs organically combined to accommodate skiers of different skill levels," the Austrian ski instructor said. "What's even more valuable is the excellent snow quality."

Altay, known as a "powder snow paradise" and verified by scholars as the birthplace of skiing, is widely recognized for possessing world-class natural skiing conditions.

Photo shows a scene of Jiangjun Mountain International Ski Resort in Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Chen Yang)

In recent years, alongside the rapid growth of China's inbound tourism, Altay has continuously upgraded its ice and snow tourism offerings, with its service system becoming increasingly professional and internationalized. During the 2024-2025 ski season, Altay Prefecture received over 16 million tourist visits, up more than 26 percent year on year. Trips made by skiers at ski resorts exceeded 1.4 million, surging over 21 percent year on year.

Professional coaches from winter sports powerhouses like Austria, Canada and France have brought systematic and standardized international skiing instruction to Altay's major ski resorts.

In recent years, Altay has hosted professional events, including the FIS Cross-Country Skiing China City Tour Altay and the Winter Games Around Altai Mountains. These competitions have not only raised facility standards and operational management capabilities but also significantly enhanced the region's influence in international winter sports, driving the clustering and development of related industries such as tourism, training and equipment manufacturing.