Chartered flights for ski tourists announced between Shanghai and Changbai Mountain
Ski students practise the snow plow position at Changbai Mountain.
Chartered tourist flights between Shanghai and Changbai Mountain in northeast China, a popular domestic ski destination, will be operated from December amid the heated-up winter tourism market.
Shanghai Spring Tour announced on Tuesday that three chartered flights would operate daily from December 1 to tap the "sizzling" winter tourism market.
Bookings for the ski season from November to March 2024 have already surpassed those of the same period in 2019, with the majority of reservations made by young and middle-aged tourists, according to Shanghai Spring Tour.
In addition to Shanghai, the rest of the Yangtze River Delta region, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are also major tourist source markets for ski resorts, it said.
An instructor teaches snowboarding at Changbai Mountain.
The Shanghai-based travel agency launched presales of ski tourism products as early as August, and its sales revenue surpassed 5 million yuan (US$704,205) within eight hours, with many itineraries sold out quickly.
Between Friday and Sunday, the opening celebration of the ice and snow carnival at Changbai Mountain will be held with a record number of participants expected.
A ski club will be established during the event, providing a platform for ski enthusiasts to share their ski experiences.
During this year's ski season, about 10 activities will be organized by the club with destinations extended to other popular ski resorts such as Yabuli in Heilongjiang Province, and Hemu in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"The Changbai Mountain ski destination used to attract only sightseeing group tourists, while it has now become a comprehensive holiday resort for individual travelers with parent-child tourism, vacations, and health and ski elements, which reflects the change of China's ski tourism market," said Zhu Hui, manager of the domestic tourism department of Shanghai Spring Tour.
Skiing has gained increasing popularity among the Chinese public, from previously being a niche sports activity, and tourists are expecting higher standards of ski slopes, insiders said.
