China's Ice and Snow Industry Passes CNY1 Trillion as Tourism Gains Outpace Sports Participation

A trillion yuan milestone with an uneven pattern of growth

China's ice and snow industry exceeded CNY1 trillion during the 2025-2026 winter season, while spending on winter sports reached CNY205 billion, up about 9.3%. The figures mark another step in the expansion of an industry that includes ski resorts, tourism, equipment manufacturing and winter cultural attractions.

The China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report (2026), released on October 15 at the World Winter Sports Expo in Beijing, put nationwide winter sports participation at 308 million people and winter tourism at about 220 million visits. Asia Data Group released the research, which described an industry entering a period of changes in its business structure and sources of growth.

Government monitoring gives a more detailed picture of that transition. Across seven major winter destinations, tourism and cultural activity improved during the season, while scores for sports participation, facilities and equipment innovation fell. The industry's expanding value therefore sits alongside a practical challenge: turning enthusiasm for winter travel into sustained demand across more parts of the economy.

The national participation and tourism figures measure different things. The first counts people taking part in winter sports, while the second counts tourist visits, which can include repeated trips by the same person. A visitor may also take part in a sport, so the two totals describe overlapping activities.

How quickly has the industry grown?

China's ice and snow industry was valued at CNY270 billion in 2015 and CNY980 billion in 2024. The 2024 figure was about 3.6 times the 2015 level, showing how far the market had expanded before crossing the trillion yuan threshold.

The 2025 edition of the industry research, compiled by the World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo and published in October 2025, projected that the sector would exceed CNY1 trillion by the end of that year. The latest seasonal estimate places it above that threshold, although the precise amount above CNY1 trillion was not given.

Winter sports spending has also continued to rise, though at a slower pace. Consumption exceeded CNY187.5 billion in the 2024-2025 season, when growth was reported at 25%. The latest CNY205 billion total represents reported growth of about 9.3%, a slower increase on a larger spending base.

Spending on sports is one part of the wider industry. Equipment production, tourism and other related activities help explain why the total industry valuation is much larger than the amount consumers spend directly on taking part in winter sports.

What the government's monitoring shows

The State Information Center's Department of Informatization and Industrial Development and China Unicom Smart Steps Data Technology released their winter economy monitoring index on March 30, 2026. It covers Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, Beijing and Hebei, using observations from December 2025 through February 2026.

The seven areas recorded an average total score of 50.42, a small increase from the preceding season. The index brings together six dimensions: sports participation, tourism activity, facilities, cultural activity, equipment innovation and industry support. Its scores describe conditions across those dimensions; they are measured in index points rather than yuan or numbers of visitors.

Beijing led the total index with 70.39 points, followed by Heilongjiang at 62.23 and Jilin at 51.65. All three were above the seven area average. Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning improved their total scores compared with the previous season.

The monitoring also found a change within the winter itself. Scores generally rose from December through February, whereas the previous season had first risen and then fallen. These observations cover seven areas during three months, while the industry research presents national seasonal totals.

Tourism and culture gain ground

Tourism activity averaged 48.94 points across the seven areas, up 2.86 points from the previous season. Beijing scored 91.15, Heilongjiang 58.00 and Liaoning 53.09, placing all three above the average. Hebei, Jilin and Xinjiang recorded particularly clear improvements as tourism interest and the appeal of their destinations increased.

Cultural activity registered a larger gain. Its average score rose 13.57 points to 59.05, with Beijing at 88.33, Jilin at 86.67, Liaoning at 71.67 and Heilongjiang at 70.00. The State Information Center attributed rapid gains in Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia mainly to more active winter cultural programmes.

Those results show why the winter economy extends beyond skiing and skating. Cultural attractions and trips to winter destinations can generate activity among visitors who do not regularly practise a sport. For destinations, the opportunity includes attracting people interested in a winter experience as well as those arriving with their own equipment.

The strongest recorded improvement was in culture, while tourism also advanced. Together, those movements help explain how the wider winter economy could remain steady even as its sports participation score weakened.

Sports participation and facilities face pressure

The sports participation index averaged 55.85 points, down 7.76 points from the preceding winter. Every monitored area recorded a decline, with Liaoning, Hebei and Jilin seeing more pronounced falls as interest in winter sports cooled.

Hebei still had the highest participation score at 76.68, followed by Heilongjiang at 74.91 and Beijing at 61.68. The regional monitoring therefore shows both established centres of activity and a retreat from the previous season's index levels.

Facilities recorded a smaller decline. The average facilities score fell 1.67 points to 47.23. Heilongjiang led at 68.11, followed by Jilin at 65.16 and Xinjiang at 54.40. Only Heilongjiang, Jilin and Hebei avoided a decrease in their facilities scores.

For resort operators and equipment businesses, participation matters because returning skiers and skaters create repeated demand. The latest figures place that issue alongside continued tourism growth: attracting a winter visitor and building a regular sports customer are different commercial tasks.

Equipment makers have breadth, but innovation is uneven

China's winter sports equipment industry now covers 15 major product categories, spanning personal gear, resort facilities, recreation and professional competition. Products range from ski clothing, protective equipment and goggles to lifts, snowmaking machines and robots used to carve ice sculptures.

The government's equipment innovation index nevertheless averaged just 26.23 points, down 2.67 points from the previous season. Beijing scored 71.52, far ahead of the other monitored areas. Jilin, at 39.12, and Hebei, at 27.30, were also above the average.

The State Information Center attributed the decline mainly to changes in a component measuring equipment competitiveness. This leaves a mixed picture: manufacturers supply a broad range of products, while innovation scores remain concentrated geographically.

Adam Zhang, founder of Key-Solution Sports Consulting, linked future equipment development to China's manufacturing capacity. He said:

As a major manufacturing country and a manufacturing powerhouse, once market demand becomes clear, supply capacity will swiftly follow,

Zhang identified smart manufacturing, robotics and artificial intelligence as potential drivers of equipment development. He also described technology being applied to software, teaching, training and sports experiences, extending its role beyond the machines and gear themselves.

What skiers buy and how often they return

Huabei, a skiing platform with more than 10 million registered users, offers a closer view of its customer base. Its data put male skiers at 41% and showed that 68% preferred snowboarding. Among surveyed skiers, 25% visited a resort once a season, while 12% made more than 10 trips.

Those visiting patterns point to different purchasing needs within the platform's audience. Someone making one seasonal trip has a different reason to buy equipment from a frequent visitor who uses it repeatedly. The large snowboarding share also helps explain the business opportunity for specialist suppliers.

Ye Bo, general manager of Beijing based GSPO Sports, said sales of the company's Yepro brand had grown by 20% annually in the domestic market. Founded in 2017, the company focuses on snowboard bindings and accessories. Bindings are the mechanisms that secure a rider's boots to the snowboard.

Ye said the company was investing in binding technology, including manual adjustments intended to save users time when changing equipment on the slopes. He put domestic brands such as Yepro at roughly 20% to 50% below foreign competitors in price, giving consumers another factor to weigh alongside product design and performance.

Harbin connects tourism with manufacturing

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, had more than 2,300 enterprises involved in its ice and snow industry as of November 2025. More than 1,000 had been established during the preceding three years, and the local industry's reported compound annual growth rate was 23.6%.

More than 80 Harbin enterprises focused on manufacturing winter sports equipment, including snowboards and ice skates. The figures show that the city's winter business includes production and services as well as visitor attractions.

Harbin Zhongcheng Technology Development provides one example. Its Snow Lion machine can break up, push and shovel ice and snow. Board member Yuan Zhihui said an intelligent control system adjusts its operation according to ice thickness and temperature, allowing it to respond to changing working conditions.

Yuan said the company had worked with five leading universities in Heilongjiang to develop its own snow removal technology. Revenue grew 25% from a year earlier, supported by demand and measures from government and industry associations. Machinery for clearing ice and snow connects the winter economy with the practical work of keeping places accessible.

The dates behind the latest figures

China's latest industry milestone follows a series of research releases, business developments and consumption initiatives. Keeping their dates separate helps explain how the national estimate and the government monitoring fit together.

• October 2025: The 2025 industry research projected a market above CNY1 trillion by the end of that year.
• November 2025: Harbin's industry figures recorded more than 2,300 ice and snow enterprises.
• December 2025 to February 2026: The seven areas were monitored for the government's 2025-2026 seasonal index.
• January 2026: The National Ice and Snow Consumption Season launch ceremony took place in Harbin under the Ministry of Commerce's Shopping in China programme.
• March 30, 2026: The State Information Center and China Unicom Smart Steps released the seasonal monitoring index.
• October 15: The 2026 industry research was released in Beijing, reporting that the industry had exceeded CNY1 trillion.

The Ministry of Commerce initiative aims to stimulate demand through winter products, services and tourism experiences. Meanwhile, the State Information Center said it would continue refining its index and conducting regular monitoring to support industry development and policy decisions.

The combined picture is of a larger market with different engines moving at different speeds. Tourism and cultural activity strengthened in the monitored regions, manufacturers reported business gains, and national sports spending increased. Participation and equipment innovation scores show where the expansion was less consistent.

Key Points

• China's ice and snow industry exceeded CNY1 trillion during the 2025-2026 season.
• Winter sports participation reached 308 million people, while winter tourism totalled about 220 million visits.
• Sports spending reached CNY205 billion, up about 9.3%, following reported growth of 25% in the previous season.
• Government monitoring across seven areas found gains in tourism and culture, alongside lower sports participation, facilities and equipment innovation scores.
• Beijing led the total monitoring index; Heilongjiang and Jilin also scored above the average.
• Harbin's expanding business base and specialist equipment makers illustrate how the market reaches beyond resorts and tourist attractions.