China winter sports tourism shows clear growth

The National Tourism Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China published a study report on the development of the Chinese winter tourism sector on December 23. 

The report found that Chinese winter sports tourism demonstrated significant growth in the 2017/2018 winter season and has now entered a golden era of big growth. 

According to the report, the number of winter sports tourists in 2017/2018 winter season reached 197 million and the revenue from winter sports tourism was around CNY33m. 

By the 2021/2022 winter season, the number of winter sports tourists is expected to reach 340 million with the revenue expecting to reach CNY68m. 

Investment in the winter sports tourism sector has been more and more popular and is significant not only in its scale and diversification but its internationalization. In 2017/2018, the investment in the winter sports tourism was around CNY54m. The winter sports tourism regions that have the most investment potential include Changbaishan Reservation and Development Area, Yanqing District in Beijing, Chongli District in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, Mohe City in Heilongjiang Province and Aershan City in Inner Mongolia. 

In the mean time, the report points out the Chinese winter sports tourism sector is facing some problems too. For example, poor basic infrastructure and facilities at the tourism destinations, poor service quality, a lack of winter sports tourism brands and other issues. 

The report thinks that the quality and competitiveness of the winter sport tourism sector could be helped by improving government efficiency, raising involvement in the market, improving the quality of the public service systems and raising competitive strength in the global stage. 

Reference: Xinhua  

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick