There are so many ice and snow resorts at the doorstep of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. [Talking about the Yangtze River Delta] There is no need to go to "Erbin"

Since winter, Harbin’s cultural tourism has been booming. According to reports, on January 27, the single-day passenger throughput of Harbin Airport hit a record high again, transporting more than 80,000 passengers.

The Northeast region, represented by Harbin, has attracted many southern "little potatoes". Among them, the Yangtze River Delta, which rarely snows once a year, is the main source of tourists.

Shanghai ranks among the top three sources of ice and snow tourism orders

Ctrip data shows that as of January 17 this year, the overall order volume from the Yangtze River Delta to the Northeast has increased by nearly 50% compared with the same period in 2023. Among them, Anhui had the largest increase, reaching 64%, and orders in Shanghai and Jiangsu also increased by more than 50%. In cities, Nanjing and Wuxi tourists are very enthusiastic about skiing, with order volume increasing by 65% ​​and 46% respectively year-on-year.

Shanghai firmly ranks among the top three sources of ice and snow tourism orders. The number of tourists departing from Suzhou and Hangzhou is also among the top ten tourist destinations for ice and snow projects in the three northeastern provinces.

Among the people in the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghainese are particularly fond of ice and snow sports. In 2021, ice and snow sports have been welcomed by Shanghai people. The number of people participating in this sport reached 2.8 million that year, an increase of nearly 360% compared to the same period in 2017. Many ski resorts across the country, such as Zhangjiakou Chongli and Geely Changbai Mountain, have signed contracts with Shanghai Ski Club to launch more preferential measures to attract tourists from Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta.

What many people don’t know is that you don’t actually have to travel that far. In the past few years, the Yangtze River Delta has vigorously promoted ice and snow sports and built many ski resorts.

Restricted by geographical location, natural environment and other factors, the construction of ice and snow venues in the Yangtze River Delta has been affected. The number and scale of outdoor ski resorts are difficult to match those of northern cities, but they have also developed rapidly in recent years.

The "2023 Ski Industry White Paper" shows that the number of ski resorts in Zhejiang and Jiangsu ranks 11th and 13th in the country, with 23 and 22 respectively. There are also many indoor ski resorts. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 50 indoor ski resorts in Shanghai, including ski simulator venues, about 16 ice rinks, and 3 curling venues.

At present, the popular ski resorts in the Yangtze River Delta are mainly concentrated in Zhejiang. The long-established ski resorts Yunshang Grassland in Anji and Damingshan Wansongling Ski Resort in Hangzhou continue to be popular and have been on Ctrip's ski reputation list for several consecutive years.

During the Spring Festival, ice and snow venues with high bookings include Alpine Snow World, Wuxi Hot Snow Miracle, Taihu Longemont Ice and Snow World, Yunshang Grassland Ski Resort, Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort, etc.

As ice and snow sports continue to heat up, in the past two years, three provinces and one city have also been actively building more, larger and better ski resorts.

Shanghai is expected to build 30 new ice and snow venues in 2025. Among them, the Yaoxue Ice and Snow World project attracts the most attention.

This project, with a total investment of nearly 7 billion yuan, officially started construction in 2019 and has now entered the final stage. After completion, the total construction area will reach 350,000 square meters, and it will receive more than 3 million tourists every year, making it the world's largest indoor ski resort.

At the same time, the newly built ski resorts are developing towards the integration of vacation, entertainment and sports, and have launched "ski hot springs", "ski gourmet" and other combinations.

Jiangsu Taicang Alps International Resort, which opened in November last year, is a one-stop ice and snow themed resort destination, integrating three themed experiences: Snow World, Time Realm and Sports Park.

Data shows that as the largest indoor ski resort in East China, the average daily passenger flow of Snow World reached 3,000 during New Year's Day, an increase of 50% compared to December.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province has just unveiled the TusPark Ice and Snow Glory City project, which will become the largest indoor ice and snow park in Zhejiang Province with the highest slope, the longest snow path and the richest ice and snow projects in Zhejiang Province.

The growth of ice and snow equipment manufacturing enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta is gratifying

The rise of skiing has also led to a sales boom in related equipment.

Tmall data shows that since December last year, searches for ski clothing, snowboards, ski goggles and other products have increased. Among them, children’s snowboards attracted the most attention, with search popularity rising by 494%.

Sales are also rising. During the ski category activity day launched by Tmall in December last year, the sales of ski clothing increased by 250% year-on-year, and the sales of ski socks increased by 800%.

In the past three years, the number of companies related to ice and snow sports equipment has also maintained a rapid growth trend. Qichacha data shows that in 2023, the number of registered domestic ice and snow sports-related companies will reach 2,347, a year-on-year increase of 33.88%. Northern provinces and cities are the main production areas. Hebei has the largest number of related enterprises, reaching 1,225, accounting for about 11% of the national total. Followed by Heilongjiang and Beijing.

Although the number of related enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta is small, their growth is encouraging.

As of January 26, 2024, there are a total of 941 related companies in the Yangtze River Delta, with 206 new companies added in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 37.33% compared to 2022.

Among them, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have a larger number of companies, 313 and 312 respectively. Shanghai and Anhui have 138 and 178 respectively.

From the perspective of registered capital, Shanghai has concentrated many large-scale enterprises.

Data show that the registered capital range of enterprises related to the ice and snow economy in the Yangtze River Delta is mainly concentrated within 5 million yuan, accounting for 56.9%. The number of companies with more than 100 million yuan is relatively small, accounting for only 12.1%.

Shanghai and Hangzhou are cities with more companies with registered capital of over 100 million yuan, 17 and 18 respectively.

Qichacha data shows that between 2022 and 2023, a total of 3 brands of ice and snow economic enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta completed 3 financings, with a total disclosed amount of 30 million yuan, all in Shanghai.

These three brands all contain keywords such as "high quality", "high technology" and "high performance", focusing on professional sports protection products or thousand-yuan ski clothing. According to reports, sales of one of the brands at least tripled after the Winter Olympics.

"The world of ice and snow is also a mountain of gold and silver." At present, the Yangtze River Delta is also actively promoting the ice and snow economy, building ice and snow sports venues, and bringing more resources into the ice and snow consumption and industrial chain to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the ice and snow tourism market.