Skiing is snowballing among China’s young

Beijing’s winning bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics is spurring on the popularity of skiing among China’s young. The Chinese Ski Association said that Chinese sports officials aim to increase the country’s active skiers from the current 10m people to 300m over the next few years. As urbanisation brings changes, wealth grows and visa restrictions fall, the younger, educated, independent and wealthier Chinese, are creating new opportunities for skiing tourism as evidenced by the rise in luxury Chinese ski resorts, even in the warmer areas. Juerg Schmid, CEO of the Swiss National Tourist Office, forecasted that the number of Chinese tourists to Switzerland would increase by 30% this year, despite fears about public security in Europe. 

More Chinese are looking overseas for skiing holidays as visa restrictions fall and wealth grows. Photo: AP