BEIJING, May 6 -- Chongli's Genting ski resort was met with a problem this season -- too many parents trying to enter their children into its ski training camp.
This year, the price rose by 2,000 yuan (about 290 U.S. dollars) to 8800 yuan for the six-day camp while the number of participants jumped to 2,800 from 300 last season. Still, Genting marketing director Zhao Qiong had to ignore as many as possible phone calls asking for an entrance.
"Back in 2013, we offered quite a discount and peddled our training camp school after school. Now I am stunned by the boom," said Zhao.
The ski industry all over China has recently faced a surge in enrollment, momentum that is part of the central government's plans to boost participation in winter sports across the country.
Previously lack in real winter sports tradition, China has been working hard to establish its prominence in previous editions of the Winter Olympics. And the country that is soon to host the 2022 Winter Olympics has stepped up its effort and introduced nationwide initiatives to engage 300 million people in winter sports.
Recent projections released by the government show that the industrial scale of winter sports should reach 600 billion yuan (about 87 billion U.S. dollars) by 2020, and this is set to further increase to one trillion by the year 2025 if all goes according to plan.
"We have reached what I would call the 'golden twenties years' of the winter sports industry (in China)," confirms by Lin Xianpeng, vice department head of the Beijing Sports University Marketing program.
Given this rapid growth rate, there should be no less than 650 skating rinks and 800 skiing venues by 2022. Things are already moving in that direction. 2017 has seen an 18% increase in comparison to last year's number of skiers at the 500 skiing sites nationwide.
The industry has already seen a fast expansion immediately after Beijing was awarded the right to host the Games in the summer of 2017.
Northwest of Chongli, Hebei province, the location where Olympic snowboarding and freestyle skiing will be held in 2022 became a popular skiing destination, not just for Beijing residents, but also for fans all over the country, even from abroad.
Wanglong ski resort, in Chongli, recorded almost four times of tourists in 2017-2016 season in comparison to the previous season.
Currently boasting six major resorts in business, Chongli aims to become a top skiing destination. Rapid growth and an improved landscape allows it to host large-scale events such as the 2017 FIS World Cup - Ladies' Dual Moguls.
It was Chongli's first time to host such a major event, and officials hosted an a quality event in line with international standards. That is the view of Chen Gang, a management official with Chongli's Thaiwoo ski resort.
"From the entire human resource system to facility foundations and business models, we hoped to match international and industry-approved standards," Chen said.
Not only has this development initiative increased the public's passion for winter sports, it has also benefitted nearby residents with new employment opportunities.
Bolder plans are also said to be on the horizon. Member of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), Yang Yang, is taking steps to bring skiing to the hot and humid south. Having already set up a facility in Shanghai, Yang believes that winter sports should not be limited to the country's north.
"Consider Los Angeles, it has one of the best training facilities up to date. Including top teams playing in the National Hockey League (NHL), figure skating, free style skiing, and others," she said.
Business researcher and head of the sports department at Peking University Yi Jiandong says steps can be taken to ensure that winter sports are possible, regardless of climate-related difficulties. He states that with the advances in technology, winter sports will definitely not be geographically limited. Man-made snow, portable and indoor ski fields are all said to be in the cards for the future development of winter sports across the country.
Facilities across the country are expecting to welcome more seasoned skiers, beginners, investors, and international crowds as this phenomenon expands. Committed to inspiring 300 million people to join winter sports, local governments across the country are going all-out to push winter sports forward. Even though ski culture is relatively new to China in comparison developed countries, people and businesses are bracing for a snowstorm of winter sports fury.
(translated by Xu Xinyuan and edited by Spencer Musick)
暑期统计:孩子意外伤害增多
专家指导:亲子阅读三步曲集锦
黄磊写给女儿多多:写给未来的你
北京25所中小学将成高校附属学校
暑假大学生家教“风光不再”
《爸爸去哪儿2》萌娃是如何炼成的?
孩子学英语的8个最佳途径分享
王中磊儿子学费18万 盘点星二代惊人学费
北京城南迎来教育“大咖” 北京四中新校区落子房山
全国唯一学籍号小学一年级开学后核发
北京民办中小学靠"特色"博生源
2014北京方家胡同小学新生一年级入学安排
幼升小孩子习惯培养:预习教材不如叫他收拾书包
孩子听力练习越早外语越强
北京教育改革破解择校难 不住学区房也能进名校
孩子暑期要过好,家长先备课
北京未报上名儿童获邻校预留学位
聊聊给孩子花钱报班的事情
秋季开学小学部分年级更换新教材
家长必读:科学暑假计划分享
学区房需求走低 家长只看不买
专家指导:少儿英语兴趣班选择的五误区
五位专家对话幼升小家长 谈零起点"看台效应"怎么破
一年级家长如何做好“陪读者”
零起点教学有助于遏制教育“抢跑”
假期接近尾声,幼升小的必修课
“史上最严”入学政策捧热北京国际学校
适龄儿童入学扎堆,教育资源如何分配?
社会调查:近半家长让孩子学龄前上补习班
“组合拳”破解择校难住不住学区房都可能进名校
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |