China’s state-run Fengpai newspaper reported on the 13th that as cold air descends across China, Chinese people’s interest in skiing and hot springs, which are representative winter tourism, is growing.
According to Trip.com, since the first week of November, the number of customers searching for hot springs and skiing has increased by 50% compared to the previous month, and the number of tourists heading to the warm southern resorts of Sanya and Beihai has also increased earlier than usual.
Meituan, a ticket sales platform, also reported that the volume of ski resort ticket orders from November to September increased by 209% compared to the same period in 2019 before COVID-19. Another travel platform, Chunaal, also explained that the search volume for ‘skiing’ has tripled compared to the previous month, and the amount of reservations for tickets to ski resorts across the country has increased by 147% compared to the same period in 2019.
Cities in the northern region such as Zhangjiakou, Harbin, Baoding, Beijing, Huzhou, and Shenyang were named as regions with high ski resort reservations. Even in southern regions with warm weather, ticket sales at indoor ski resorts opened in Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Kunming are believed to have increased.
As demand for winter recreation increases, some areas have closed down on lodging reservations. The cumulative sales of snow scenery and lodging packages at Furong Four Seasons Resort, operated by Zhangjiakou, co-host of the Beijing Winter Olympics, exceeded 20 million yuan. He also explained that on the 18th and 19th, the first week of the ski resort’s opening, nearly 1,200 hotel rooms were sold out.
Meanwhile, the number of tourists wanting to enjoy hot springs in cold weather has also increased.
According to travel platform Mafengwo, searches for hot springs increased 150% in the past week, replacing the keyword ‘autumn travel’. Trip.com also saw ticket reservations for tourist attractions, including hot springs, increase by 140% from November 4 to 8 compared to the previous month and double compared to the previous year.
(Beijing = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.