China has witnessed a continued increase in winter sports participation, with approximately 313 million people engaging in winter sports since Beijing 2022.
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Around 313 million people have engaged in ice and snow sports or related leisure activities in China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The figure was revealed by Yang Xuedong, director of the Economic Department of the State General Administration of Sport (SGAS), here on Wednesday at the annual National Sports Bureau Directors Conference.
Nearly two months ago, China unveiled an ambitious plan to grow its ice and snow economy, targeting winter sports, tourism, and equipment manufacturing as key drivers of economic growth, with a projected value of 1.5 trillion yuan (approximately 211 billion US dollars) by 2030.
According to Yang, the SGAS has conducted research on public participation in ice and snow sports with the assistance of the Information Survey Center of the National Bureau of Statistics.
The statistics show that two years after Beijing 2022, Chinese citizens' enthusiasm on winter sports continues to grow.
From November 1 to December 20, the number of bookings at ski resorts in the three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region increased by 50.49% year-on-year, and the consumption amount increased by 58.41%. The bookings of hotels within 5 kilometers from ski resorts increased by 27.85%, and the consumption amount increased by 20.41%.
"During our research in Xinjiang, we heard praise from skiing enthusiasts regarding the quality of the snow, the trails and the long snow season. Everyone had a positive experience," said Yang.
During the 2023-2024 snow season, Xinjiang has received 92.6 million visitors, an increase of 147.78% year-on-year, and achieved tourism revenue of 106.7 billion yuan (about 14.6 billion dollars), an increase of 263.74% year-on-year.
According to Shang Hongbo, Deputy Director of the Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang has already made an ambitious plan to further leverage the advantages of local ice and snow resources and build it into a world-class winter sports and tourism destination.
The public's love for ice and snow sports has accelerated the construction of the venues in China. Up to 2023, there are 2,847 ice and snow sports venues nationwide, including 1,912 ice skating venues and 935 skiing venues, which are not only distributed in the ice and snow-rich regions of China.
By the end of 2023, south China's Guangdong Province has 24 ice skating venues and 10 skiing venues.
"China has vast potential in developing ice and snow economy. Both northern and southern provinces can benefit from it," said Yang. ■