'Most exciting outdoor market in the world'

Snow slopes in China are also attracting an increasing number of skiers. Launched in 2013, Genting Resort Secret Garden, built by Malaysian resort and casino operator Genting Group, has been selected as freestyle skiing and snowboarding venue for the Winter Olympics. It is also one of the most visited ski centers in Hebei.

During the snow season, over 2,500 visitors drive to the resort every day to test the world-class slopes. The resort is sparing no effort to prepare for the Olympics and to meet the growing demand for its services.

Benno Nager, chief operating officer of the resort, said the ski center is more than doubling the current 40 slopes to 90 while adding six cable cars to meet the demand in the next two years.

"We've attracted enough tourists and we are able to provide them with places to stay overnight," said Nager. "But we can't leave them on the crowded slopes."

The resort is also expanding its hospitality capacity from 825 beds to over 10,000 beds.

"We need to not only prepare for the Games but to handle the high volume of tourists attracted by the Games," he said.

"After the high-speed train services start between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, we expect to see more tourists to Chongli throughout the year."

In November 2017 alone, Genting has hosted 19,989 people, up 10 percent year-on-year.

But the opportunity of hosting the Winter Olympics has not come Genting's way easily. Zhao Qiong, market director of the resort, said the company has been preparing for the Games for over a decade.

"If you rewind ten years, you would realize the head of Genting Group had already sensed the potential of Chongli as a host venue for the Winter Olympics," said Zhao. "We picked Chongli rather than Northeast China because Chongli is closer to Beijing. After the high-speed trains start to run, Chongli can be reached within one hour from Beijing.

"Before we started to build the resort in 2007, many senior staff of the group didn't support the idea because they said Chinese people were not interested in the Winter Olympics and the ski industry was not popular. They also said such plan was like daydreaming."

But now, the potential of Zhangjiakou to become the country's snow sports capital has been widely recognized. Even 3-time World Championship Jeremy Bloom acknowledges this. He recently visited the place with his business associates, including ski resort software providers, training providers and equipment manufacturers, to scout for investment opportunities in Zhangjiakou.

"Zhangjiakou is the fastest-growing and most exciting outdoor market in the world right now," said Bloom. During his trip, he and his team signed contracts, which are part of 13 cooperation projects worth 40.6 billion yuan with the local government.

He also raised the question many investors in the snow sports industry are concerned about now－h(huán)ow to turn first-timers into true lovers of snow sports?

"The only way to capitalize on a growing market and build for the long-term is by providing incredible experiences to visitors, and I'm not talking about athletes but everyday consumers," he said.

"I've spent my entire life in the skiing and snowboarding world and have watched people fall in love, and fall out of love, with the sport."

Chinese investors share the same concerns.

Wu Bin, general manager of Beijing Carving Ski Equipment Co Ltd, said that in other countries with a mature snow sports industry, people will see snow sports as part of their lifestyle. But China is still at the stage of promoting such sports. Typically, skiing and snowboarding are included as part of a one-off tour package.

According to Wu, in 2016, 78 percent of skiers were newbies, down 2 percent from 2015.

"How to turn those first-timers into regular players and finally make snow sports part of their lifestyle－that is what we need to address. From the supply side viewpoint, we need everyone in the industry chain to provide better service and give those users better experience to maintain their interest," said Wu.