Winter sports boom turns former coal town into tourism gold mine

WUHAN, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Nine years ago, when guesthouse manager Li Li decided to turn her family villa into accommodation for travelers taking the provincial highway in central China's Hubei Province, she had hoped to make a modest income.

However, that income was not guaranteed all year round. The biting cold would freeze the water in the pipes, and without access to water, she would have to shut her doors to guests.

Today, winter has become the busiest season of the year for Li, 51, and for Lyucongpo Town in Badong County, where the guesthouse is located.

During one lunch service late in 2024, Li's Lijin Vacation Resort was bustling with skiers and tourists enjoying local dishes by wood-fired stoves. Their cheerful chatter was occasionally interrupted by new visitors asking for tables.

The transformation occurred in 2019, when the Lyucongpo Ski Resort was built in the town.

"At that time, I didn't know what skiing was, but the sport led to a turning point in my life," Li said.

She upgraded her facilities and replaced her old van with two spacious vehicles to cater to the needs of the influx of tourists, and her annual revenue has doubled since the ski resort opened, she said.

And Li is not the only one who has benefited from the town's winter sports boom and its subsequent development.

Ski resorts in China are primarily located in the country's northern regions, where the cold winter climate is naturally suited to outdoor skiing. However, since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a surge in winter sports enthusiasm has boosted the development of indoor and outdoor ski facilities in the southern regions of the country.

Statistics show that about 313 million people have engaged in snow and ice sports or related leisure activities in China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Hubei, situated in the subtropical zone, is seeing rising numbers of tourists embrace skiing. The Lyucongpo Ski Resort is a prime example of this trend.

Located at an altitude of about 1,800 meters, the resort boasts nine skiing trails spanning a total of 5 kilometers and has welcomed an average of more than 1,000 tourists each day since Dec. 14, 2024, according to Mu Zhe, an official of Lyucongpo Town.

Mu said that the rise of winter sports has been life-changing. About a decade ago, the town was better known for its declining coal mining industry and its struggling agriculture sector. "Back then, winters were harsh and the town seemed lifeless."

In July 2020, after the ski resort had been operating for more than six months, Lyucongpo had just one hotel and six guesthouses. By July 2024, seven hotels and 156 guesthouses had been built.

The resort has provided employment opportunities for over 600 locals and generated an annual average of more than 200 million yuan (about 27.82 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue for Badong County, according to Mu.

Huang Chao, a tourist from Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, said that he started skiing after the Beijing Winter Olympics and has visited many ski resorts in Hubei, as well as in Heilongjiang and Xinjiang.

"Skiing can be addictive. I go skiing four to five times a year, with each trip lasting at least three days," he said, adding that whenever his time is limited and he wants to ski, he opts for Lyucongpo.

The winter sports boom has also brought vitality to the town. "Many young people who had migrated to big cities in search of jobs have returned to their hometown to work or start a business," Mu said.

But while the ski season is lucrative, relying on a single season can be limiting, Mu noted.

To deal with this situation, Lyucongpo has diversified its offerings. When the snow melts, the ski resort transforms into a grass skiing facility and flower garden, opening additional attractions such as high-altitude vegetable farms.

"We no longer depend solely on winter for the town's development. These initiatives have turned Lyucongpo into a year-round tourist destination, offering sightseeing options during the spring and autumn, as well as retreats in the summer, and locals have steady incomes throughout the year," Mu said. ■