China now has 719 ski resorts, more than any other country in the world

The latest China Ski Industry White Book reveals some fascinating insights into the world's fastest growing snow sports industry.

The latest edition of the China Ski Industry White Book was released last month, and, as usual, the annual report offers some pretty hefty insights into the world’s fastest-growing snow sports industry.

Last year’s report revealed the rapid rise of indoor ski resorts despite a heavily COVID-affected season. This past 2023-24 season, with COVID in its wake, saw a massive resurgence in visitor numbers, and, with this, several other key developments.

Changbaishan. Image: wandaresorts.com

The rise of destination ski resorts

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this latest report is the rise of destination resorts, a sure sign that China’s relatively young ski industry is maturing, as the focus shifts from beginner-friendly suburban resorts to bigger, more sophisticated alpine resorts.

Despite representing just 4% of the country’s 719 ski resorts, China’s 29 ‘destination resorts’ accounted for 28.6% of all skier visits, with a year-on-year increase of 52.9%. In contrast, China’s ‘suburban learning’ resorts saw just a 5.5% increase in visitor numbers despite the rebound in winter tourism post-COVID.

Tellingly, statistics from the report also show that China’s biggest resorts – those with more than 300m of vertical – saw a 51% increase in visitor numbers, whereas resorts in the 100-300m range saw an increase of just 2.1%.

Club Med Yabuli

The recent boom in popularity of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, is partly responsible for this shift. The “ice city”, home to Club Med Yabuli, is having its moment in the sun snow as it gears up to host the 9th Asian Winter Games in February 2025. From 10-17 February this year, Harbin attracted more than 10.1 million visits for a year-on-year increase of 81.7% – a phenomenon that has since been dubbed “Erbin fever”.

However, it’s not just Harbin that has strengthened its status as a world-class snow sports destination. Jilin province, home to big-name resorts such as Beidahu and Changbaishan, has overtaken Hebei province, next to Beijing, as the top destination for skiers, with a 51.2% increase in visitor numbers. Hebei, with smaller mountains and less natural snow than Jilin, saw a much less significant increase (13%), along with Beijing (3%).

More ski resorts than any other country

Currently, China has a world-leading 719 ski resorts, up from 697 in 2022 but down from 770 pre-COVID. This figure puts it well ahead of Japan (447), the US (505), Canada (292), France (296) and Austria (440), despite it being the least established of the lot as an international ski destination.

Beidahu. Image: Club Med Beidahu

The number alone, however, is perhaps a little misleading. Of China’s 719 ski resorts, only 33 offer more than 300m of vertical drop, with most spanning less than 100m. Additionally, only 176 resorts are equipped with aerial lifts, while the remaining 543 either use magic carpets or have no lifts at all.

China’s ski industry is, of course, still developing. Only 25 years ago, at the height of Japan’s ski boom, China operated just 17 ski resorts, significantly less than Japan’s 700+. Before COVID hit, it was projected that China would reach 1,000 ski resorts by 2022 – a target that remains a realistic possibility in the not-too-distant future.

The rise of indoors ski resorts

The rise of China’s indoor ski industry was a dominant theme in last year’s White Book, and this year is no different. Indoor skiing continues to gain momentum in China, driven by a demand for year-round skiing and urban accessibility.

During this past season, the number of indoor ski resorts grew from 50 to 60, marking a 20% year-on-year increase. Visitor numbers grew even more significantly, from 3.65 million to 4.85 million, now accounting for more than 21% of total skier visits.

Ten years ago, China had just 5 indoor ski resorts. Today, it leads the world in both the number and scale of indoor facilities, boasting six of the world’s ten biggest indoor resorts, including the top-ranked Shanghai L+SNOW and Harbin BONSKI, each with 65,000 square meters of terrain.