China's progress

Over 8,000 km to the east, another winter tourism boom is providing a strong boost to the economy.

After staging the 2022 edition of the Winter Olympics, China is striving to upgrade its winter sports industry to catch up with the world's best.

With more Chinese champions to be crowned in Italy in the coming weeks, public interest in winter sports, outdoor activities, and tourism packages is expected to surge during the Spring Festival holidays.

The country's increasing number of winter sports resorts and facilities are expected to continue filling coffers, according to officials and resort operators.

"Ice and snow sports and relevant leisure activities have become the most trending, and the fastest-growing events among all outdoor sports. The Olympics are definitely going to galvanize that boom," said Yang Xuedong, director of the sports economy department of the General Administration of Sport of China.

According to Huo Jianjun, director-general of the China Tourist Attractions Association, winter sports tourism is predicted to generate an estimated total revenue of 630 billion yuan ($91 billion) from ticketing, accommodation, catering and other relevant services by the end of the 2025-26 season.

"With winter sports participation expanding to a wider region in the country outside the traditional provinces in northeastern China, the tourism sector is taking advantage of more travel to new destinations," Huo said during the World Winter Sports Expo 2025 in Beijing.

China's technological progress is also pushing winter sports to break seasonal and geographic boundaries, with solutions such as artificial "dry-snow" slopes and virtual reality skiing simulators diversifying business offerings at both indoor and outdoor venues, said Hao Lishun, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.