Ski industry booms as tourists take to slopes to escape summer heat

Skiing has become a surprising feature on Chinese tourists' checklist this summer. Nighttime recreational activities are also among the front-runners, industry data show.

According to figures released by online travel agency Fliggy on Thursday, over the past 30 days, bookings for skiing products placed on the platform increased by more than 15 percent month-on-month.

Business at Qiaobo Ice and Snow World has seen remarkable growth this summer compared with last year, according to Ma Yinping, marketing manager of the ski resort in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province.

Ma attributed the growth to three reasons: one is government-distributed vouchers; another is the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which has greatly boosted interest in skiing among the public; while the extremely hot weather in the eastern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces this summer is also a contributing factor.

"With the increasing popularity of ice and snow sports, more young people are coming to ski in summer, and repeat business is growing year-on-year," Ma said. "Online travel platforms are also stepping up efforts to promote ice and snow offerings."

"We recently hosted a live broadcast in collaboration with Fliggy. The audience could see the ski resort covered with white snow in the sweltering summer heat, which was a great opportunity to promote 'offseason skiing'."

Skiing can be a strong business booster for other industries in the proximity of ski resorts, according to Ma.

"A ski session usually lasts more than four hours, during which at least one meal is consumed. There are also many guests who choose to spend the night near the resort,"Ma explained, adding that to better serve an increasingly young customer base, the resort is also exploring derivative activities such as murder mystery games, afternoon tea and detective games.

This summer, nighttime tours and recreational activities such as a night in a theme park, night cruises and light shows have been popular choices among tourists.

According to data released by Fliggy on Thursday, in the past 30 days, bookings for nighttime tourism products placed on the platform had jumped over 25 percent compared with the same period of 2021.

Li Mengxian, brand director of Taihu Lake Longemont Paradise in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, said the resort has launched a variety of nighttime tourism products, including night performances, firework shows and nighttime tickets for the water world.

Journey to the Magic Land, a new, original circus performance produced by the resort, "has been close to capacity since its debut on Aug 6," according to Li.

Deng Ning, vice-dean of the School of Tourism Sciences at Beijing International Studies University, said that as the hot weather continues in South China, the cycle and scale of nighttime recreational activities are expected to hit a record high this year.