Quality is crucial

With Chinese resort operators and event promoters having already upgraded their equipment and facilities to international standards, operational expertise in business diversification and customer services could still use more input from the established players, said Erik Riegler, who is in charge of cooperation and relationship development at the Austrian Embassy in Beijing.

"You should focus on different target groups to differentiate the products and services, not only serving those people who come to ski, but also others who want to experience the mountains, outdoor events and maybe some other cultural activities,"Riegler said of experiences from Austria during a winter sports forum held in Beijing's Yanqing district.

Midway through the 2025-26 winter, Yanqing's National Alpine Ski Center, the venue of Beijing 2022's alpine events, has seen its customer number increase by about 50 percent compared with the same period last year. The final number is estimated to easily surpass last season's record figure of 200,000, said deputy general manager Chen Hongyan.

However, relatively sluggish business during other seasons has emerged as a challenge for the large-scale center, which has a high operational cost, to stay financially sustainable.

Similar challenges are also hampering the development of resorts in Chongli in Hebei province, another co-host of Beijing 2022, where operators have begun offering more summer activities, such as hiking and mountain biking to attract customers in the "off season".

In Italy, Moretti of Livigno, said diversification of customer experiences and building more outdoor sports facilities for other seasons have helped alpine resorts to thrive all year long. Chinese developers should do the same, he suggested.

"You cannot survive just with a winter business, you have to support the summer business by introducing more services and products that will cater to the needs of nonskiers and holiday-goers during other seasons," Moretti said.

Florian Hajzer, general manager of the China branch of Italian snow-making brand TechnoAlpin, said the quality of the tourism experience also needs to be a priority.

"Looking at what's been happening in the ice and snow industry around the world, in no country is there something comparable to what's happening in China," said Hajzer, who's been studying and working in China for over 10 years.

"To be completely honest, this is not rocket science. But all the events and facilities need to be done with quality, while the Chinese are still on a learning curve."