Hebei sees surge in tourism as visitors flock to ski resorts

The beginning of December has witnessed a tourism boom in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, with many snow sports enthusiasts stepping on their snowboards and skis and racing down slopes.

Since the snow season kicked off on Nov 8, the region, which staged most of the events of the 2022 Winter Olympics, has received a total of 511,400 visits and achieved a tourism revenue of 449 million yuan ($63 million) as of Saturday, according to the district's culture and tourism bureau.

Since the Forlong Ski Resort in Forlong Four Seasons Town opened for the season, it has received more than 60,000 visitors, nearly doubling the number from 2019, according to Zou Zhongqiao, deputy manager of the resort's culture and tourism department, cited in a report by Beijing Business Today on Wednesday.

The report said Genting Snow Park has also seen a significant increase in weekend visitors, about 50 percent compared to the same period last year.

Multiple hotels and guesthouses near the district's ski resorts have seen a price surge due to the skiing craze, with some having a rise of up to 155 percent compared to last month's prices.

In addition, hotel bookings around ski resorts this month have increased by about eight times compared to the same period in 2019,according to a report by Beijing Business Today, citing data from Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

The rise in prices and demand for hotels and guesthouses reflects a significant increase in skiing demand.

Zhangjiakou has taken multiple measures to meet the surging demand by using its post-Olympics legacy, such as holding competitions at past venues and rolling out entertainment services.

The Genting Snow Park is to hold the 2023-2024 FIS Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup from Dec 6 to 9, featuring Gu Ailing, who clinched two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and will return to Zhangjiakou to compete, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Moreover, last month, the city published a system that standardized the services of its snow resorts.

The system, elaborated in several books, standardizes six aspects involving ski resorts - catering, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment, providing guidance and technical specifications for service quality in the ice and snow industry.