China Ice and Snow Tourism Report: 360 Million Leisure Trips Expected This Winter

The China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) released the China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report (2026) on January 5. It says that after roughly a decade of development, China's ice and snow tourism has shifted from a niche experience to a mass trend and from a single season to all four seasons. Combined estimates put leisure trips for the 2025-2026 winter at 360 million and leisure revenue at RMB 450 billion, with about 220 million trips primarily motivated by ice and snow tourism. Surveys show 74.8% of respondents want to experience ice and snow tourism and 50.5% want long-distance ice and snow trips, exceeding 50% for the first time. On investment…