Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Growth exceeded that of total travel in China
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- Figure 1: Ice and snow travellers’ volume and consumer spending, 2014-19
- Domestic destinations more visited than the overseas
- Winter sports, an emerging driver for ice and snow holidays
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- Figure 2: Number of skiers and ski frequency in the China market, 2014-18
- Domestic ski park capacity able to support growing skiers
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- Figure 3: Number of ski parks in China market, 2014-18
- Figure 4: Projection of skiers and ski park occupancy in 2024
- Faster growth of ice and snow travel spending than the total holiday market in future
- Key players in the ski gear market
- Price gap between products on shelf and consumers' expectation
- Ski gear brands communicate co-creation and sustainability
- The consumer
- Six out of 10 consumers had ice and snow travel experiences
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- Figure 5: Penetration of different types of winter holiday destinations, December 2019
- Typical holiday budget is RMB5,000-8,000 per person
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- Figure 6: Distribution of average spending per capita on an ice and snow winter holiday, December 2019
- Desire for a unique holiday experience is the biggest driver
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- Figure 7: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays, coded from open-ends, December 2019
- Authenticity plays a role in ice and snow holiday motivations
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- Figure 8: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays – travel experience, consumers’ quotes, December 2019
- Classic activities are more likely to stay in fashion
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- Figure 9: Participation of and interest in ice and snow activities, December 2019
- Ski gear: buy rather than hire
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- Figure 10: Price range consumers are willing to pay for different ski gear, December 2019
- One-stop ice and snow holiday experiences are preferred
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- Figure 11: Attitudes towards winter holidays, December 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Quietude, a wellness-themed currency to promote ice and snow holidays
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 12: Finland features quietness in nature
- Consumers want tourism experiences that tell an authentic local story
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 13: Travel guide presented by boutique hotel Salt of Palmar at Mauritius
- Ski gear brands: use a lifestyle DNA to establish professional image in skiing
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 14: The “Blackboard” collection by Never Been Done
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Ice and snow travel market expands rapidly
- Winter sport is an emerging segment
- More ski parks available and sufficient to support future skiers’ growth
- Ski gear market: international brands take lead, domestic brands emerge
Market Size and Forecast
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- Ice and snow holidays record high spending growth
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- Figure 15: Consumer spending on ice and snow travelling, 2014-19
- Rising number of consumers travelled to ice and snow destinations
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- Figure 16: Number of ice and snow travellers, 2014-19
- Popular ice and snow destinations
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- Figure 17: Chinese visitors to Japan and South Korea in winter season*, person-time, 2017-19
- More travellers support ice and snow travel market’s future growth
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- Figure 18: Forecast of ice and snow travellers’ volume, in person-time, 2019-24
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- Figure 19: Forecast of consumer spending on ice and snow travelling, 2019-24
Market Factors
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- Holiday remains a priority in consumer discretionary spending
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- Figure 20: Claimed spending changes on holidays, 2013 and 2019
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- Figure 21: Disposable income per capita, 2014-18
- Increasingly seeking novel and authentic experiences
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- Figure 22: Spending attitudes towards trying new things, 2019
- Winter Olympic Games promote winter sports
- Ski park supply able to meet skiers’ volume growth
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- Figure 23: Number of ski parks in China market, 2014-18
- Figure 24: Number of ski parks in major domestic ice and snow destinations, 2018
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- Figure 25: China’s ski park admission capacity, million person-times per year, 2018
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- Figure 26: Projection of number of skiers, 2024
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- Figure 27: Projection of ski park occupancy, 2024
- More premium holiday resorts available in northern China
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- Figure 28: Holiday resorts in six ice and snow destination provinces* in China market, 2014-19
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- Figure 29: Club Med’s holiday package video ad for Chinese lunar calendar New Year, 2020
Market Segmentation
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- Emerging winter sports segment
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- Figure 30: Number of skiers in China market, 2014-18
- Figure 31: Penetration rate of skiing in China and top 10 European markets, 2018
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- Figure 32: Ski frequency in China market, 2014-18
- Non-sport segment constantly re-engineers its tourism attractions
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- Figure 33: Harbin Ice and Snow World
Key Players in the Ski Gear Market
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- International brands take the lead
- Domestic brands emerge as new stars
- A price gap between brands’ offerings and consumers’ expectation
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- Figure 34: Price range of ski blades and snowboards, January 2020
- Figure 35: Price range, by production location, January 2020
- Ski gear brands innovate products by co-creation
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- Figure 36: Mine 77 collection by Burton, 2020
- Sustainability on-trend
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- Figure 37: NOBADAY communicates sustainability
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- More than half of consumers have taken ice and snow winter holidays in the past two years
- Most poplar price tier for ice and snow holidays is RMB5,000-8,000 per head
- Winter sports, local life and culture and unique experiences motivate ice and snow holidaymakers
- 53% of consumers have already tried outdoor skiing
- Majority of skiers want ski gear priced lower than RMB3,000
- One-stop and long-haul ice and snow holidays are preferred
Winter Holiday Destinations
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- More than half of consumers have tried ice and snow holidays
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- Figure 38: Penetration of different types of winter holiday destinations, December 2019
- More than half of winter holidaymakers go to both warm and icy destinations
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- Figure 39: Choice of winter holiday destinations, December 2019
- Consumer profile for domestic ice and snow holidays
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- Figure 40: Penetration of domestic winter holiday destinations, by gender and generation, December 2019
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- Figure 41: Penetration of domestic winter holiday destinations, by city, December 2019
- Overseas ice and snow winter holidaymakers
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- Figure 42: Penetration of overseas winter holiday destinations, by gender and generation, December 2019
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- Figure 43: Penetration of overseas winter holiday destinations, by city, December 2019
Ice and Snow Winter Holiday Spending
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- Popular price range is RMB5,000-8,000 per head
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- Figure 44: Distribution of average spending per capita on an ice and snow winter holiday, December 2019
- More high spending among 30-39 year old females
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- Figure 45: Average per capita spending on ice and snow winter holiday, high spenders vs non-high spenders, by age and gender, December 2019
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- Figure 46: Penetration of different overseas winter holiday destinations, high spenders vs non-high spenders, December 2019
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- Figure 47: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays, coded from open-ends, December 2019
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- Figure 48: High spenders’ attitudes towards winter holidays, December 2019
- Not big spending gap between mid and high earners
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- Figure 49: Average per capita spending on ice and snow winter holiday, by household income level, December 2019
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- Figure 50: Penetration of different types of winter holiday destinations, by monthly household income, December 2019
- Eastern and southern cities demonstrate higher spending level for ice and snow winter holidays
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- Figure 51: Average per capita spending on ice and snow winter holiday, by city, December 2019
Reasons for Taking Ice and Snow Holidays
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- Winter activities and travel experiences are key attraction
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- Figure 52: Word cloud of reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays, December 2019
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- Figure 53: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays, coded from open-ends, December 2019
- Ice and snow holidays respond to consumers’ desire for unique and novel travel experiences
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- Figure 54: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays – travel experience, by city, December 2019
- Demand for authenticity
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- Figure 55: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays – travel experience, consumers’ quotes, December 2019
- Opportunities to differentiate by promoting health and wellbeing
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- Figure 56: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays – benefiting oneself, consumers’ quotes, December 2019
Participation in Ice and Snow Activities
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- Nothing is out of fashion
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- Figure 57: Participation of and interest in ice and snow activities, December 2019
- Variety of activities tried goes up with holiday experience
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- Figure 58: Penetration of ice and snow activities (any tried), by ice and snow travel experiences, December 2019
- Profiles of potential repeat and new skiers
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- Figure 59: Repeat and new consumers of outdoor skiing*, by gender and generation, December 2019
Attitudes towards Winter Holidays
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- It’s still challenging to encourage non-ice and snow holidaymakers to initiate their first trip
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- Figure 60: Attitudes towards winter holidays – ice and snow destinations vs tropical islands, December 2019
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- Figure 61: Attitudes towards winter holidays – ice and snow destinations vs tropical islands, by travel experiences, December 2019
- One-stop holiday products are in favour
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- Figure 62: Attitudes towards winter holidays, December 2019
- Figure 63: Attitudes towards winter holidays – prefer resorts, by demographics, December 2019
- Long-haul ice and snow holidays are overall preferred…
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- Figure 64: Attitudes towards winter holidays – short-haul vs long-haul, December 2019
- …but market for short-haul, spur-of-the-moment ski holiday to new skiers
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- Figure 65: Attitudes towards winter holidays – prefer short-haul ice and snow holidays, by past ski experiences, December 2019
- Overseas ski parks are competitive among sophisticated ice and snow holidaymakers
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- Figure 66: Attitudes towards winter holidays – domestic vs overseas ski parks, by demographics, December 2019
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- Figure 67: Attitudes towards winter holidays – domestic vs overseas ski parks, consumers who have taken both domestic and overseas ice and snow holidays, December 2019
- Destination or quality of ski parks? Sophisticated holidaymakers are opinionated
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- Figure 68: Attitudes towards ski holidays – important factors for choosing skiing holidays, by preferences of domestic and overseas ski parks, December 2019
- Consumers want professional ski products
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- Figure 69: Attitudes towards ski holidays – preferences of ski product brands, December 2019
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- Figure 70: Awareness of different outdoor brands, July 2019
Spending on Ski Wear and Equipment
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- Willing to buy instead of hire
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- Figure 71: Price range consumers are willing to pay for different ski gear, December 2019
- Under-served price tier in ski blades and snowboards
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- Figure 72: Price range consumers are willing to pay for different ski gear, those who have skied before vs new skier, December 2019
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- 79% MinTs have had ice and snow holiday experience, with more than half going overseas
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- Figure 73: Penetration of different types of winter holiday destinations, by MinTs, December 2019
- MinTs tend to spend more on ice and snow holidays
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- Figure 74: Distribution of average spending per capita on an ice and snow winter holiday, MinTs, December 2019
- Local lifestyle and culture appeal to Mintropolitan ice and snow holidaymakers
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- Figure 75: Penetration of ice and snow activities, by consumer classification, December 2019
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- Figure 76: Reasons for taking ice and snow winter holidays, coded from open-ends, MinTs, December 2019
Appendix – Market Size and Segmentation Data
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- Figure 77: Forecast of ice and snow travellers’ volume and consumer spending, 2019-24
- Figure 78: Correlation index between consumers’ disposable income and number of ice and snow travellers, 2014-18
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Fan chart forecast
- Abbreviations
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