As winter destinations in China welcome guests back to the slopes, the ice and snow tourism market is heating up earlier than ever. Booking data and consumer insights released by leading platforms including Tongcheng Travel, DT Commercial Observer, and Muniao Homestay reveal a dynamic winter travel landscape for the 2025/26 season, with surging demand, evolving traveler profiles and increasingly diversified experiences.
Early Momentum
Interest in ice and snow travel is peaking. According to the 2025 Winter Consumption Trend Insight Report jointly released by DT Commercial Observer and Douyin Life Service, online content related to ice and snow tourism has more than doubled year-on-year and engagement metrics such as likes and shares have climbed sharply. Further forecasts also predict that the snow and ice tourism market will reach its highest peak over the winter break and continue well into the Spring Festival holiday. Muniao Homestay reports that pre-New Year’s Day winter tourism orders are already 25% higher than last year. Searches for hotels relating to snow and ice travel have increased by 172% year-on-year.
Price trends are also upward. Tongcheng Travel predicts steady airfare increases from mid-November through early 2026. On the popular Guangzhou-Harbin route, average New Year’s Day airfares are up approximately 56% compared to November levels.
Who is travelling?
Southern China has become the primary source market for ice and snow tourism, with over 70% of current bookings coming from southern provinces. There is particularly strong demand from Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Hubei.
Family travel, particularly parent-child groups, are the backbone of ski resort consumption- with parent-child families contributing to 54% of ski resort GMV. Children born after 2010 are increasingly enrolling in ski programs and the demand for private lessons and child-accompanied ski-packages is therefore rising sharply. Travellers aged 26-35 now dominate the market, accounting for more than 60% of snow and ice related tourism orders.
Female participation is also expanding rapidly, with women now placing more ski-related orders than men and holding a higher year-on-year growth rate. It’s clear that snow and ice tourism is becoming attractive to wider audiences than ever before.
Where in China are they going?
China’s three Northeastern provinces, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, account for over half of all snow and ice bookings. Cities such as Harbin, Shenyang, Mudanjiang, Changchun, and Dalian continue to rank among the most popular.
However, destination preferences are also diversifying. Tongcheng reports strong growth in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, with cities like Urumqi, Altay, and Ili gaining significant traction. Winter tourism projects in Gansu, Ningxia and Shanxi are also experiencing increases in visitor interest.
At the same time, ‘hometown snow villages’ are emerging as a new consumption hotspot. Search growth on Douyin highlights destinations such as Xingtai and Shengfang (Hebei) and Luoyang and Xinxiang (Henan). Meanwhile, large-scale indoor ice and snow theme parks- including Shenzhen Qianhai Huafa Ice and Snow World, Guangzhou Hot Snow Miracle and Shanghai Lingang Yaoxue- are enabling year-round participation, especially in southern cities.
Ski-ing overseas
An increased demand for a domestic product will then translate to a growth in visitors to experience the same product overseas, and ski and boarding holidays are no exception. Outbound ice and snow tourism is rebounding and the popularity of this type of activity holiday is likely to continue to grow as more Chinese families and couples get the ski bug. From late November 2025 through the 2026 Spring Festival, destinations such as Hokkaido, Moscow, Interlaken, Innsbruck and Almaty are expected to attract growing numbers of Chinese travellers- great news for the global ski industry.
Outbound ice and snow travellers from China are also increasingly turning their attention to classic winter sports destinations in Europe. Traditionally, the European Alps have represented the pinnacle of ski tourism, with Swiss and broader Alpine resorts continuing to attract significant interest from Chinese visitors who seek premium mountain holidays and diverse experiences beyond just the slopes. Recent data reported by Swiss tourism authorities indicates that the number of winter bookings by Chinese tourists climbed sharply in the 2024-25 season, with approximately 341,710 room nights recorded.
As well as Switzerland, European regions such as Austria, Italy and France saw more Chinese skiers and snowboarders in the 2024 season, with tourism officials noting an uptick in demand for alpine skiing as well as cultural and culinary exploration.
Experience Upgrades
Snow and ice tourism is no longer solely focused on the slopes: young travellers are showing increasing interest in surrounding factors such as accommodation, dining and entertainment, known as ‘one-stop skiing’. As a result, homestay and boutique lodging orders near ski resorts have risen 97% year-on-year. Beyond skiing and skating, tourists are embracing snow mountain sightseeing, regional food culture and immersive folk activities such as ice fishing, winter harvesting, and ethnic costume photography.
The combination of ice and snow plus hot springs remains especially popular. Tujia Homestay reports that bookings featuring hot spring-related keywords are up more than 30%, driven largely by young consumers seeking recovery and relaxation alongside winter sports.
Market Outlook
The broader economic impact of ice and snow tourism continues to deepen. The China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report (2025) estimates that during the 2024–2025 season, participation-driven consumption exceeded RMB 187.5 billion, representing over 25% year-on-year growth. Ski resort consumption alone reached RMB 78.6 billion, while spending within a two-kilometer radius of ski resorts grew nearly 28%, significantly benefiting local retail, transport and food services.
It is clear that the snow and ice tourism market is transforming from sightseeing experiences to deep immersion, and with that comes wider participation. For help promoting your international brand to the Chinese market, contact Guanxi here.