It’s written in this year’s government work report that Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games must be carefully organized. The opening ceremony will start in less than a year, and it’s atmosphere becomes increasingly stronger. More people are paying attention to and participating winter sports. With chances offered by Beijing Winter Olympic Games, how to promote high-quality development of winter sports, satisfy people’s demand for ice and snow tourism and realize the goal of “mobilizing 300 million people to engage in winter sports”? During the the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a reporter from China Tourism News interviews some delegates.
Yang Yang, member of the national committee of CPPCC and chairman of Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Committee, says that in recent years, winter sports as well as ice and snow tourism have seen unprecedented development opportunity, mainly because the establishment of a series of supporting policies, the construction of facilities for winter sports venues in many places of China and people’s higher participation. She suggests to introduce encouraging policies, assist to invent innovative teaching mode in winter sports venues, lower the threshold for beginners, let them have better experience and enhance customer stickiness.
Zhaojin Ski Resort situates in Tongchuan City of Shaanxi Province and is a subsidiary of Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group. In the last winter, the resort has experienced a 50% increase of customer number and income. “Winter Olympic Games is a strong driving force for the popularization and development of China’s winter sports as well as a chance to introduce vast market and opportunity.” says Wang Yong, president, member of the national committee of CPPCC and secretary of the party committee of Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group. Currently, the group is planning to carry out a second expansion and renovation to add to the resort indoor ski slope and sports like ice hockey so as to enable visitors to have better experience.
“In this year’s spring festival, in areas where winter sports are available, sports shops were short of equipment for skiing and skating, which is a sign proving that more and more people like winter sports.”, says Hua Yawei, member of the national committee of CPPCC and vice president of Henan Cancer Hospital. At present, people accept winter sports well and are eager to participate, so it’s suggested to perfect frameworks of collective winter sports organization and accelerate venue construction.
Yan Ying, member of the national committee of CPPCC, vice chairman of Beijing Municipal CPPCC and chairman of Beijing Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce. She suggests to enhance the digital construction of ice and snow tourism and further improve the proportion of relating companies providing online services so as to use digital technology to develop ice and snow tourism from both supply side and demand side. In terms of supply side, we can speed up the construction of scenic areas’ digitization through the combination of “online booking platform+intelligent terminal+digital management system”. In terms of demand side, we can jointly collect and use data and resource on online platform of scenic areas of ice and snow tourism. We can also start a series of innovative marketing by make good use of group purchase, live streaming, advance sale and other methods.
In recent years, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been developing ice and snow tourism by opportunities offered by Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Beijing-Huhhot express railway. Zheng Futian, member of the national committee of CPPCC and the vice chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region CPPCC, says that the influence of ice and snow tourism can be spread by improving promotion and marketing, constructing facilities for ice and snow tourism, holding festivals and activities and establishing benefiting policies for people and rules for reward and punishment. The goal is to encourage people to participate ice and snow festival and the upgrade of ice and snow tourism in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has long winter and abundant resource for ice and snow tourism. During the NPC and CPPCC, Deng Hong, member of the national committee of CPPCC and full-time vice director of the Revolutionary Committee Of The Chinese Kuomintang of Xinjiang, proposes to exploit ice and snow resource in Xinjiang and introduce international competition and training base. In addition, “developing and supporting ice and snow tourism can bring business to hotels and homestays, thus increase tourism consumption.”, says Deng Hong. Also, infrastructure and facilities need to be constructed and management need to be improvement, so it’s can convenient and comfortable for visitors.
Guangdong Province is a main customer source due to the special attraction of ice and snow tourism to Cantonese. Xiong Xiaodong, deputy to the NPC and deputy chief engineer of Guangdong Urban and Rural Planing and Design Institute. At present, the number of dry ski resort is next only to Sichuan Province, Hebei Province and Beijing. The number of Cantonese athletes in national team is increasing year after year. He also says, “All of these prove that Guangdong Province has a good foundation to develop ice and snow industry like ice and snow tourism no matter as a tourism-generating region or a destination. Since Beijing Winter Olympic Games is approaching, the province should seize opportunities and plan for the progress of ice and snow tourism in an innovated way.”
Gao Xiangqiu, deputy to the NPC and president of Farmers’ Professional Cooperative for Vegetables in Hailun City of Heilongjiang Province, is also optimistic about the prospect of ice and snow tourism. She thinks the government should spend more effort to promote ice and snow culture and make full use of the promotion from winter sports competition. With opportunities coming from Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the authority should push forward the construction of snow towns and snow village as well as promotion of sledding, sledding Huali (sleigh in northeast China), seeing ice lantern, spinning tops, ice-fishing and other customs, all of which can help to improve consumption potential. She also says ice and snow tourism can be combined with rural rejuvenation. She also suggests that more effort should be spent to educate leaders of rural tourism, to attract college-graduate village officials and to attract professionals to start a business so as to enable ice and snow industry to have more influence in rural areas and create a comprehensive rural tourism with vocation, leisure and healthy living style.
In recent years, Bian Zhiliang, member of the national committee of CPPCC and the president of Taishan Sports Industry Group Co.,LTD, leads his team to speed up scientific and technological innovation and increase the investment into high-end winter sports equipment and facilities. This year, he brings the proposal to develop ice and snow industries and encourage 300 million people to participate winter sports. “If we want 300 million engage in winter sports, we need venues, facilities and equipment. We have been working on methods to break through limitations like season and venue by studying science and technology like the simulation of places covered by ice and snow, so as to promote winter sports and draw more people.” says Bian Zhiliang.