Winter sports to head east following two Asian Olympics
Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly
The focus of the global winter sports industry will shift to the Far East in future, following the hosting of two Winter Olympic Games in the region.
This is the view of Chinese sports industry expert, Yi Jiandong, who told Xinhua that Asia’s huge population, rising affluence and tourism boom would help South Korea and China capitalise on the hosting of the Winter Games in 2018 and 2022. Pyeongchang is gearing up to host next year’s Olympics, while Beijing has been selected as the subsequent host city.
“China expects the 2022 Olympics to usher in a new era for its winter sports efforts. It is an unprecedented opportunity for its winter sports industry,” Yi was quoted saying. “With Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022, the centre of winter sports will move from Europe and North America to Asia.”
Late last year, the Chinese government unveiled plans for the widespread development of new winter sports infrastructure, with 450 new skating rinks and 300 ski resorts to rise across the country, most of them in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
And domestic winter sports tourism is reportedly growing in popularity in China.
“Previously, China didn’t have competitive winter tourism destinations compared with countries such as Switzerland. Now the situation is totally different,” Xu Xiaolei of China Youth Travel Service told the China Daily. “Tourists from southern provinces like to experience a chilly winter.”
China’s is already home to the world’s highest ski resort, located near Lijiang in Yunnan province, and it is planning to develop an even higher resort in Tibet in future.
Comments are closed.