China’s ice and snow tourism is entering "a new stage of sustained prosperity," with the season from December 2025 to February 2026 expected to see 360 million winter tourism trips and around 450 billion yuan (about 64.31 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue, according to a report released on Monday by the China Tourism Academy (CTA).

The report points out that the ice and snow tourism market has huge growth potential. A recent CTA survey found that 74.8 percent of respondents planned to take part in related leisure activities during the 2025-2026 winter season, and 50.5 percent intended to travel long distances to engage in winter tourism.

It notes that consumer spending is shifting from typical "hard expenses" like transportation and accommodation to more "soft expenses" such as entertainment, cultural experiences and technology, reflecting a shift in both the quality and structure of winter tourism in China.

According to the report, in addition to the country's northern snow belt, which houses traditionally popular ski destinations, central and southern regions have also created their own winter wonderland, largely by building indoor resorts.

It says that indoor complexes have become a key investment area, fueling year-round tourism demand.