Nation's frozen assets keep paying dividends
Opportunities abound for those looking to tap surging public interest in ice and snow activities
Backed up by surging public interest and robust market demand, international governing bodies and business insiders remain bullish on the growth potential of China's winter sports industry three years after Beijing 2022.
As this winter starts to give way to spring, the bustling scenes at the Yanqing National Alpine Ski Center in northwestern Beijing suburbs showed no sign of season-ending stagnancy over the weekend, with skiers queuing up at the gondola station entrance from about 9 am on Saturday, and all the three parking lots at the resort already full before lunchtime.
The country's only Olympic-standard alpine resort, despite its high-difficulty slopes and challenging terrain, has grown more popular than expected among ordinary skiers, dispelling concerns over a potential lack of use after hosting the thrilling alpine events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
The perceived post-Olympics business slump, which some investors and pundits worried might happen, has never materialized. Instead, the strong pace of growth in the sector, driven by the hosting of more major events and soaring demand for winter tourism and leisure activities, has gone beyond some of the boldest predictions before Beijing 2022.
