People ski at a skiing field during the Chinese Lunar New Year in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb 1, 2022. (WANG ZHENG / XINHUA)
China’s successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will provide impetus for the growth of winter sports and related tourism industries in the Asia-Pacific, experts said.
Winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and ice skating are currently something of a novelty in most of Asia where many countries have a tropical climate. However, the situation could change as people are showing more interest due to Beijing 2022 and the international media coverage of the sporting event.
Winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and ice skating are currently something of a novelty in most of Asia where many countries have a tropical climate. However, the situation could change as people are showing more interest due to Beijing 2022 and the international media coverage of the sporting event
As borders gradually reopen, experts believe there will be greater demand for winter tourism, with more people now aware that there are Asian countries like China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Pakistan where one can enjoy ice and snow during the cold months.
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Fayik Abdi, an alpine skier and the first Saudi Arabian and Gulf athlete to participate in the Winter Olympics, said “it would be great to see more countries in Asia participate and compete” in winter sports.
Fayik said he was “impressed” with the National Alpine Ski Centre in Beijing’s Yanqing district, where the skiing competition is being held in the ongoing Winter Games.
“I think that China really has potential to breed really strong skiers and I was really impressed with the venue. I thought it was really well done and fitting to what we need,” he said.
Fayik said ski centers are being built in his country to encourage more Saudi Arabians to take up the sport.
“I think it will definitely be a success since people are willing to try new activities and sports,” he said.
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Loron Orris, co-founder of Asia Sports Tech, a Hong Kong-based strategic consultancy working at the intersection of sports and technology, said the development of a “winter sports ecosystem” in the Chinese mainland will influence other countries in Asia and beyond.
“You’re already seeing a number of people from China skiing in Japan, in Korea, as well as in North America and in Europe. I think it’s just going to accelerate the number of participants going to those other markets as well,” Orris said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been encouraging people to get into winter sports ever since Beijing won the 2015 bid to host the Winter Olympics. This has led to the construction of sports infrastructure including skating rinks and ski resorts.
China's ice and snow industry has grown from 270 billion yuan in 2015 to 600 billion yuan in 2020, according to the China Tourism Academy. About 346 million people had participated in ice and snow sports by October 2021, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
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Orris expects the winter sports industry to expand following China’s successful hosting of the Winter Olympics. He sees the construction of more indoor facilities like malls with skating rinks in countries with warmer climates.
In Saudi Arabia, the Majid Al-Futtaim retail and hospitality conglomerate is developing the Mall of Saudi which will feature the world’s largest indoor ski slope and snow dome, Riyadh-based newspaper Arab News has reported.
In the Philippines, the country’s biggest shopping mall, SM Mall of Asia, reopened its indoor ice-skating rink in late January to celebrate the Philippines’ lone representative in the Winter Games — Alpine skier Asa Miller. An exhibition, titled “Together on Ice,” was also held to promote ice sports.
In Pakistan, the participation of alpine skier Muhammad Karim in the Winter Olympics is expected to not only to spark interest in winter sports among the Pakistani youth but also encourage more foreign tourists to visit Pakistan for winter tourism.
Pakistan’s lone representative to the Olympics is from Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern Pakistani region famed for its ski resorts and snow-capped mountains
“Pakistan is a mountainous country with a lot of potential for winter sports. We have some of the world’s best ski resorts,” said Sadruddin Hunzai, secretary general of Pakistan Association of Tour Operators.
He is also hoping that Pakistan’s participation in the Olympics will allow the country to learn more from China’s expertise in organizing winter sports events.
Gilgit-Baltistan hosted a Winter Festival in January that saw competitions like ice hockey and paragliding, Sadruddin said. Representatives from foreign embassies and domestic tourists went to the event.
“We have a significant potential. We have given a very positive message to the world that this part of Pakistan, the northern part, is very suitable for winter sports,” he said.
