EXPORTING TRADITION

South Tyrol is one of the few places in the world where winter technologies have the ideal conditions to grow and develop. Creativity and innovation are the key factors that led the region to become one of the most important winter sports tourism destinations worldwide.

The numbers of the South Tyrolean winter industry speak a clear language:   

• 45 ski resorts (given that South Tyrol covers only 7.000 sq km, that is a pretty large number)
• 1.180 km slopes, over 90% of which are equipped with artificial snow making systems
• 400 ropeways and lifts, which are able to carry half a million people in one hour
• 2.3 million winter tourists with more than 11 million overnight stays a year
• 62 ski schools and 2.200 ski instructors (0,05% of the entire South Tyrolean population)

Aside from it's shere size, China really isn't that different from South Tyrol. And when it comes to passion for winter sports, China is quickly catching up to the Alps: In fact, the growth rates of the Chinese winter industry are astonishing: In 2018, China recorded 742 ski resorts (149 of them with at least one aerial lift) and 197 million skier visits!

Even in it's more stable phase after the big boom in 2015, China therefore confirms it's role as the biggest beginner ski market in the world, and is expecting to experience a healthy growth even in the years to come. Curious? Discover more on the Chinese ski industry from Benny Wu's China Ski Industry Whitebook!