Hong Kong’s skiers flock to mainland as indoor slopes mushroom nationwide

Indoor ski centers in Guangdong province are experiencing a surge in visitors from Hong Kong and Macau, as new venues continue to pop up across mainland China, according to a report by Chinese indoor ski resort operator Bonski. The company's Guangzhou facility now sees 20 to 30 per cent of its visitors coming from Hong Kong and Macau, as the region's winter sports market booms.

Bonski President Liu Wensheng attributes the trend to Hongkongers' high skiing skills and the lack of indoor ski facilities in their home cities. Bonski already operates 11 indoor ski venues in China and aims to build four more to meet growing demand. The ice and snow industry in China has boomed since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, with the market reaching 1 trillion yuan (US$149 billion) in value last year, according to a report by research firm Asia Digital Group.

Chinese consumers made 67.3 million ski trips during the 2025-2026 ski season, a 22.8 per cent increase from the previous year. This surge in demand has also boosted confidence among ski equipment suppliers, with Italian snow-making systems maker TechnoAlpin optimistic about the upcoming winter ski season. TechnoAlpin, which supplies over 50 per cent of China's large-scale ski resorts, sees substantial growth potential in China, given the still-low participation rate of Chinese people in skiing and ice skating.