Self-drive skiing becomes a new winter travel favorite for Wuhan residents
Zooming down vast snowy slopes, with mountains dancing like silver snakes and plains racing like waxen elephants, the breathtaking beauty of winter unfolds before your eyes. Skiing, an exhilarating sport, is winning increasing favor among Wuhan citizens. According to a recent survey of the tourism market, "ski tourism" saw a boom during the New Year’s holiday...
Skiing becomes a new winter travel highlight
This New Year’s holiday, ski tourism emerged as one of the biggest highlights. As Wuhan has no local ski resorts, many residents drove to ski resorts within and outside the province to experience the thrill.
The provincial tourism bureau reports that our region already had the Shennongjia International Ski Resort, and this year an additional 15 million yuan was invested to build the Tianyan Ski Resort. Xianning is home to the Jiugongshan Ski Resort. Driving from Wuhan, it takes about 8 hours to reach Shennongjia and 4 hours to reach Xianning.
Just how popular is ski tourism? Tourism reception figures from the first day of the New Year’s holiday show that the Shennongjia scenic area welcomed 11,600 visitors in total, including over 1,300 at its ski resorts. Over the three-day break, the two ski resorts in Shennongjia received more than 7,000 visitors, while Jiugongshan welcomed nearly 4,000, over 70% of whom were self-driving tourists from Wuhan.
A “cold winter” revives the ski market
For ski resorts in Hubei, this winter arrived early and snow fell early, allowing the resorts to open on time. The manager of the Shennongjia Ski Resort said that nighttime temperatures need to remain below minus 2 degrees Celsius for the resort to open, but this year they dropped below minus 4 degrees, enabling an early opening. Last year during the New Year’s holiday, due to warmer weather, only 198 people went skiing.
Since December last year, ski tourism bookings have surged at major travel agencies in Wuhan. Websites such as Tuniu and Ctrip also show that the three major ski resorts in the province sold over 10,000 tickets, with some Wuhan tourists even traveling to ski in Hunan.
Average spending is around 400 yuan
How much does a skiing trip cost? Currently, the Jiugongshan Ski Resort in Xianning charges 62 yuan for admission, with skiing priced by the hour: 160 yuan for 2 hours, 190 yuan for 3 hours, 220 yuan for half a day, and 340 yuan for a full day. The two ski resorts in Shennongjia charge 80 yuan for admission, with skiing prices at 280 yuan for 2 hours, 400 yuan for 3 hours, and 500 yuan for a full day.
As a new favorite in winter outdoor activities, skiing can be somewhat of a “money burner”: many first-time skiers opt to hire instructors, who charge 100 yuan per hour for one-on-one lessons. Additionally, renting ski gear costs 30 yuan per set, lockers are 10 yuan, ski goggles are 10 yuan per pair, and items like ski hats, gloves, and snowmobiles come with extra fees.
“A single skiing trip costs at least 400 yuan,” says a Wuhan travel agency. Currently, the agency’s one-day Jiugongshan ski tour is offered at a group price of 348 yuan per person, which is already the lowest agreed rate and does not include meals. Other agencies offer packages ranging from 500 to 800 yuan.