1. Introduction to the Project

1.1 Project background

1.1.1 Product introduction

An ice and snow theme park is a modern tourist destination that combines modern science and technology with multi-level activity settings, and integrates various entertainment activities, leisure elements, and service reception facilities based on the theme of ice and snow.

The construction site of the project is located in the Erdaogou area of Jilin City’s high-quality development pilot zone for ice and snow economy. Based on the natural environment materials of ice and snow, the project creates themed scenes using creative expression methods such as transplantation, reconstruction, replication, and emotional integration. The real ice and snow landscape environment is used as the carrier of expression, and virtual scenes are integrated to meet the comprehensive sensory experience of tourists.

1.1.2 Market prospect

1. Analysis of the overall situation of national ice and snow tourism consumption

(1) Supply quality improvement and expansion to support high-quality development of the industry

The successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics has greatly stimulated investment in the ice and snow tourism industry and the enthusiasm for consumption in various formats. Ice and snow tourism has gradually shifted from “whether it exists” to “whether it is good or not”. This change is first reflected in the continuous expansion of China’s ice and snow tourism supply scale and the continuous improvement of quality experience. In 2023, there was a total of 2847 ice and snow sports venues in China, including 1912 ice skating venues and 935 skiing venues. Compared to 2022, the number of ice and snow sports venues increased by 16.11% in 2023, with skiing venues growing by 6.74% and skating venues growing by 21.32%. As of the National Day holiday in 2024, Chinese Mainland opened 65 indoor ski resorts (6 closed), 80% of which are micro and small ski resorts, serving local tourism services and the popularization of ice and snow sports. The construction of large indoor ski resorts is showing an explosive trend, with only 3 by September 2024 and an expected increase to 8 by the end of 2025. From the perspective of tourism investment, from 2018 to 2023, the total investment scale of China’s ice and snow tourism heavy asset projects reached 123.2 billion yuan, providing effective support for the steady growth of tourism consumption. In terms of regional distribution, the concentration of investment in ice and snow tourism in the northwest, east, and northeast of China has further increased.

In addition to the overall increase in supply scale, the online rate of the ice and snow tourism industry has also been continuously improving in recent years, and the convenience and comfort of tourists’ consumption have also been improved. More and more ice and snow tourism venues, amusement parks, etc. are jointly built and shared with online platforms in terms of data, resources, etc. They use group buying, live streaming, pre-sale and other methods to carry out a series of innovative marketing, allowing tourists to easily book tickets, accommodation, catering, entertainment and other projects of ice and snow tourism scenic spots through online channels, better meeting consumer needs. According to Meituan data, during the 2023 snow season, the total supply of ice and snow tourism projects included and traded online on the Meituan platform increased by 39.3% year-on-year. Both ski resorts and mass ice and snow tourism leisure projects showed a growth trend, with the number of ski resorts online increasing by 8.6% compared to 2019 and mass ice and snow tourism leisure projects increasing by 150.3% compared to 2019. This reflects the potential for digital development and also shows that China’s ice and snow industry is gradually entering a “virtuous cycle of consumption and investment mutual promotion”.

Figure 1 Trend Chart of Online Supply Changes in National Ice and Snow Tourism Projects from 2019 to 2022

(2) Ice and snow tourism consumption inspires a new chapter in ice and snow tourism

In 2023, entering the post-Winter Olympics era, China’s ice and snow tourism consumption continued its previous high growth trend. The Research Report on the Development of China’s Ice and Snow Industry (2024) shows that during the 2023-2024 ice and snow season, the number of ice and snow leisure tourists in China exceeded 385 million.

According to Meituan data, the total consumption of ice and snow tourism in China during the 2023 ice and snow season increased by 17.1% year-on-year compared to the 2022 season, and by 132.5% compared to the same period in 2019; if the growth of ice and snow tourism consumption in November and December, 2023 alone is observed, it is even stronger, with an increase of 323.5% and 262.3%, respectively compared to the same period in 2022 and 2019. Monthly data shows that the end of each year and the beginning of each year are the peak periods for ice and snow tourism consumption. The order volume of ice and snow tourism consumption in January, February, and December accounts for nearly three-quarters of the total order volume of the year, and the order volume of ski resort tourism consumption in these three months accounts for about 90% of the total order volume of the year. Compared to skiing tourism that requires higher demands for venues, climate, and leisure time, snow and ice leisure and entertainment projects such as snow world, snow park, and skating rink, which are more inclined towards the general public and more evenly distributed throughout the year. During the summer vacation and National Day holidays, there are also many consumers who engage in indoor ice and snow sports leisure experiences. In recent years, the development trend of “professional sports+mass entertainment” ice and snow tourism has become more significant.

(3) Analysis of consumers’ characteristics of ice and snow tourism

In 2023, cross-city and cross-provincial tourism consumption rapidly recovered. According to data from the Meituan platform, during the ice and snow season in the second half of 2023, the proportion of cross city tourists’ consumption nationwide reached 49.1%, an increase of 15.2 percentage points compared to 2022. From the distribution of ice and snow tourism source cities across the country, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities became the top ten ice and snow tourism source cities in 2023. Tourists in the south of China heading north in winter to experience the ice and snow scenery of the north has gradually become a trend.

According to Meituan data, from the age structure of ice and snow tourism consumers, in the ice and snow season of 2023, young people became the main consumers, with nearly 3% of users under the age of 20, 22% of users aged 20-25, and nearly 80% of users under the age of 35. Ice and snow tourism has become an increasingly popular consumption activity among young people.

The successful hosting of the Winter Olympics has further stimulated the enthusiasm of various consumer groups to enjoy ice and snow, and many ice skating rinks, ski resorts, snow worlds, snow parks and other projects have also been favored by more parents. According to data from the Meituan platform, based on the overall characteristics of national ice and snow tourism consumers in 2023, the proportion of parent-child users reached 10.6%, an increase of 3.6 percentage points compared to 2022. Ice and snow tourism is increasingly showing a trend of “family fun”. In terms of gender ratio, female tourists account for 53.5% of consumption, slightly higher than male consumers.

(4) Integrated development of multiple business formats generates comprehensive driving effects.

Tourism is an industry with strong comprehensive driving force. Although ice and snow tourism and leisure rely on “ice and snow scenery, ice and snow sports” and other core attractions, its rapid development in recent years cannot be separated from the cross-scene integration of various consumer formats such as catering, accommodation, entertainment, leisure, and shopping in tourist destinations. According to Meituan data, in the second half of 2023, during the ice and snow season, the consumption scale of non-local tourists in catering, hotels, B&B, leisure and entertainment, instant retail and other formats increased by 76.4%, 146.8%, 196.5%, 356.6% and 65.7% year-on-year, respectively. However, the year-on-year growth rates of these types of formats in popular ice and snow tourism destinations such as Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Hebei, and Beijing were generally higher than the national level. The average growth rate of these types of formats in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region exceeded 570%, and the average growth rate in Heilongjiang exceeded 420%, indicating the importance of diversity of formats and consumption integration for local tourism development.

Figure 2 Growth of Ice and Snow Tourism Consumption in Various Formats in China and Some Regions during the Second Half of the Ice and Snow Season of 2023

2. Development prospects of the ice and snow tourism industry

(1) Policies support the ice and snow industry, and relevant cities actively plan it.

The ice and snow industry in China has received high attention from governments at all levels and key support from national industrial policies. Since 2023, the country and regions have successively introduced multiple policies to encourage the development and innovation of the ice and snow tourism industry. In March, 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the Tourism Development Plan of Northeast China, proposing a new positioning of a world-class ice and snow tourism resort in Northeast China; in September of the same year, the General Office of the State Council issued the Measures to Release the Potential of Tourism Consumption and Promote the High-quality Development of the Tourism Industry, proposing to develop the ice and snow economy and strengthen the construction of ski tourism resorts. In terms of regions, Jilin Province and Heilongjiang Province have successively launched policies to develop ice and snow tourism, based on regional advantages, and accelerating the construction of ice and snow related industrial chains. By now, many places have started the ice and snow consumption season, issuing ice and snow consumption vouchers, holding ice and snow events, exhibitions and other activities to attract tourists, and gradually releasing the market consumption potential.

(2) The new business model of “ice and snow+” leads the trend of ice and snow activities and stimulates consumption potential.

With the rise of ice and snow tourism, the supply side has launched a richer combination of ice and snow tourism products, creating a “ice and snow+” industry chain, “ice and snow+sports”, “ice and snow+hotels”, “ice and snow+hot springs” and other new models to meet the needs of tourists and citizens. According to the special survey data on ice and snow tourism by China Tourism Research Institute, among the types of “ice and snow+” activities that tourists love, ice and snow sports (skiing, ice skating, rock climbing, ice and snow exploration, snow marathon, etc.), modern ice and snow culture (snow country trains, ice and snow photography, ice and snow rock music, polar world, etc.), and traditional Chinese ice and snow culture (ice play, winter fishing, winter hunting, folk festival activities, etc.) rank among the top three, accounting for 15.8%, 14.0%, and 12.7%, respectively. Secondly, health preservation (hot springs, SPA, etc.), film and television IPs, and celebrity activities are also receiving more attention. The new business model of “ice and snow+” will promote the development of the ice and snow economy and enhance the potential for ice and snow consumption.

1.1.3 Advantageous conditions of project construction

(1) Policy advantages

The Central Economic Work Conference in 2024 listed “vigorously boosting consumption, improving investment efficiency, and expanding domestic demand in all aspects” as the top priority of the nine major tasks for 2025, and clearly put forward specific requirements such as “innovating diversified consumption scenarios, expanding service consumption, and promoting the development of cultural tourism industry”.

The Classification of Quality Levels for Tourist Attractions (GB/T17775-2024) has added the content on “Integration of Culture and Tourism” and “Smart Tourism”. The integration of culture and tourism has established a standard content system consisting of three parts: cultural themes, cultural utilization, and cultural dissemination; smart tourism has established a standard content system consisting of three parts: smart services, smart management, and smart marketing.

The Opinions on Stimulating the Vitality of Ice and Snow Economy through High-quality Development of Ice and Snow Sports proposes to launch and implement the plan to enhance ice and snow tourism. Support the investigation of ice and snow tourism resources in key areas, build a number of high-quality ice and snow themed tourist attractions and resorts, and optimize and enhance national ski tourism resorts. Promote the construction of 3-5 globally renowned high-quality ice and snow tourism destinations in Beijing, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Xinjiang and other places. Support the construction of key rural tourism villages and towns with ice and snow themes in eligible areas. Improve tourism signage and tourism information sharing system. Organize some activities such as the Happy Ice and Snow Tourism Season to strengthen the promotion of ice and snow tourism both domestically and internationally.

The Measures on Unleashing the Potential of Tourism Consumption Coupons and Promoting High-quality Development of the Tourism Industry proposes to develop the ice and snow economy, promote the development of the entire industry chain of ice and snow sports, ice and snow equipment, and ice and snow tourism, and guide the strengthening of ski tourism resort construction.

The 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Tourism proposes to promote the development of ice and snow tourism, improve the system of ice and snow tourism service facilities, accelerate the integration and development of ice and snow tourism with ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment manufacturing, and create a number of national ski tourism resorts and ice and snow tourism bases.

The High-quality Development Plan for the Ice and Snow Industry in Jilin Province (2021-2035) proposes to promote the construction of the “4+X” ice and snow industry system at a higher level, with “ice and snow sports, ice and snow tourism, ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment” as the core, and related industries such as ice and snow technology, ice and snow talents, and ice and snow commerce as the support.

(2) Resource advantages

Jilin City is located in the the Changbai Mountains at 43° north latitude. It is in the “golden latitude zone of ice and snow” with the Alps in Europe and the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is also called the world’s three largest snow bases. The average temperature during the snow season is around minus 10℃, which is suitable for the temperature. The snow period is long and the snow quality is good, which increases the comfort of skiing. It can be said that “there is only snow fun without the bitterness of coldness”. By now, Jilin City has built 12 large ski resorts, including Beidahu and Vanke Songhua Lake, becoming a fitness and leisure paradise for international and domestic skiing enthusiasts, tourists, and citizens.

Jilin City has a 1500 square kilometer “golden hot spring belt”, which is rich in more than 30 beneficial mineral trace elements such as radon, soda, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, etc. It is one of the few high-temperature springs in China, with a water temperature between 60℃ and 75℃. It is an excellent companion for playing with ice and snow and enjoying rime.

(3) Industrial advantages

With the competitive skiing quality advantages of Beidahu Ski Resort and Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort, Jilin City has successfully hosted many high-level sports events at home and abroad, such as the International Ski Federation Freestyle Skiing World Cup, the Asian Winter Games, and the National Winter Games; the first all-weather standardized off-road skiing professional training ground in Asia - Jilin Beishan Four-Season Off-road Ski Resort, has been designated as a national snow sports training base; the city sports center, which can accommodate over ten thousand people, has successfully hosted large-scale events such as the National Figure Skating Championships, China-US-Russia Ice Hockey Match, and the National Ice Hockey League.

Jilin Ice and Snow Economy High-quality Development Pilot Zone, established on November 11, 2021, consists of three parts: Jilin Beidahu Sports Tourism Economic Development Zone, Jilin Songhua Lake Scenic Area, and Vanke Songhua Lake Resort. It integrates the top three snow field resources in the region and is the only provincial-level platform for high-quality development of ice and snow economy in China. Since the establishment of the Ice and Snow Experimental Zone three years ago, the number of ski slopes in Beidahu Ski Resort has increased from 27 to 74; the snow covered area has increased from 126 hectares to 275 hectares; the number of hotel beds has increased from 3500 to 9000; the number of snow trails in Vanke Songhua Lake Resort in the Ice and Snow Experimental Zone has increased from 37 to 50; the snow covered area has increased from 175 hectares to 220 hectares; the number of hotel beds has increased from 6000 to 7000. During the 2024-2025 snow season, Jilin Ice and Snow Experimental Zone will add 356 ecological parking spaces.

In order to create a landmark in the east for the world’s ice and snow industry, Jilin Ice and Snow Experimental Zone will empower the ice and snow industry with culture, build a new industrial spatial structure of “one chain, two cores, and nine industry demonstration blocks” with the North Snow Seven Star Chain as one chain, the North Great Lake World Ice and Snow Industry Innovation Core, and the Vanke Songhua Lake World Ice and Snow Resort Core as two cores, and the ice and snow sports, ice and snow equipment, ice and snow training, hot spring vacation, rural leisure, rehabilitation sports, traditional Chinese medicine health care, forest health care, and aviation industry blocks as nine industries. It will accelerate the construction of a world-class ice and snow industry base, and create a world-class ice and snow tourism destination with the world-class software and hardware facilities and an annual reception of over ten million skiing visitors.

(4) Talent advantages

There are a total of 9 universities stationed in Jilin City. There are nearly 100000 full-time students and about 30000 graduates from higher education institutions every year. There are about 61000 professional and technical talents and 496000 skilled talents in the city, including 144000 high skilled talents.

Jilin Ice and Snow Experimental Zone strengthens talent guarantee and deepens the transformation of achievements in the “cooperation between universities and the local government”. It will leverage the new advantages of ice and snow talents, accelerate the implementation of Jilin University’s Ice and Snow Economy Science and Technology Innovation Center, actively plan the construction of China (Jilin) Ice and Snow Economy University, jointly establish Jilin Low altitude Economy Industry R&D and Application Center with Northwestern Polytechnical University, and jointly build the Ice and Snow Economy Science and Technology Innovation Center with Jilin University. It will innovate and plan the construction of China (Jilin) Ice and Snow Economy University, accelerate the construction of the Ice and Snow Technician College, sign strategic cooperation agreements with higher education institutions such as Beijing Sport University, Shenyang University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Beihang University, and strengthen cooperation with high-end think tanks to promote high-quality development of the ice and snow economy with the strength of talent think tanks.

(5) Location advantages

Jilin City is located in the core area of Changchun-Jilin-Tumen in Northeast Asia, adjacent to Yanbian, with rivers running into the sea to the east, Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang to the west, reaching Dandong, Liaoning Province to the south, and the Sanjiang Plain to the north. The road transportation is convenient, with the distances of 64.5 kilometers from Longjia Airport, 117 kilometers from Changchun, 397 kilometers from Shenyang, 355 kilometers from Harbin, 780 kilometers from Dalian Port, and 1020 kilometers from Tianjin Port. It can connect with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, radiate to Northeast Asia, and has obvious geographical development advantages. The expressways form a road network of “one ring road and expressways extending in four directions”, while the railways form a cross support. It has intercity railways such as Changchun-Hunchun, Changchun-Tumen, Jilin-Shulan, and Shenyang-Jilin, as well as dedicated and connecting lines for railways such as Jiuzhan-Jiangmifeng, Jiuzhan-Qipan, and Xishan-Hadashan, etc. The railways in Jilin have a freight volume of 26.706 million tons and an arrival freight volume of 28.17 million tons.

1.2 Contents and scale of project construction

The project covers an area of approximately 100000 square meters and is planned to construct three major functional areas: an ice and snow exhibition area, an ice and snow sports area, and a commercial and entertainment area. The ice and snow exhibition area includes various ice and snow sculptures, large-scale core ice and snow landscapes, ice and snow poetry, and ice and snow cultural performances; the ice and snow sports area includes ice brick slides, a small ice hockey rink, an ice skating rink, a skiing experience area, a free snow-fight field, an ice and snow maze, etc; the commercial and entertainment area includes a ice and snow themed hotel, a restaurant with snow views, an ice and snow souvenir shop, and an ice and snow sports equipment rental center.

1.3 Total investment of the project and capital raising

1.3.1 Total investment of the project

The total investment of the project is 800 million yuan, including the construction investment of 640 million yuan and current funds of 160 million yuan.

1.3.2 Capital raising

Self-raising by the enterprise

1.4 Financial analysis and social evaluation

1.4.1 Main financial indexes

After the project reaches the production capacity, its annual sales revenue will be 860 million yuan, its profit will be 125 million yuan, its investment payback period will be 9 years (after the tax, including the construction period of 2 years) and its investment profit rate will be 15.63%.

Note: “10 thousand yuan” in the table is in RMB.

1.4.2 Social evaluation

The project aims to create an ice and snow themed amusement park, tap into the tourism and leisure potential of ice and snow resources, and meet the public’s demand for a better tourism experience through richer project innovation, product portfolio, and experience optimization, promoting the sustainable and high-quality development of the ice and snow leisure tourism industry.

1.5 Cooperative way

Joint venture, cooperation, sole proprietorship, and other methods can be discussed face-to-face.

1.6 What to be invested by the foreign party

Funds, and other methods can be discussed face-to-face.

1.7 Construction site of the project

Jilin Ice and Snow Economic High-quality Development Experimental Zone

1.8 Progress of the project

It is currently seeking external investment.

2. Introduction to the Partner

2.1 Basis information

Name: Management Committee of Jilin Ice and Snow Economic High-quality Development Experimental Zone

Address: Beidahu Ski Resort, Jilin City

2.2 Overview

Jilin Ice and Snow Economy High-quality Development Experimental Zone was approved by Jilin Provincial Government on May 8, 2020 and established in August, 2021. Located in the southern part of Jilin City, with an area of 1353.9 square kilometers, it consists of three parts: Jilin Beidahu Sports Tourism Economic Development Zone, Jilin Songhua Lake Scenic Area, and Vanke Songhua Lake Resort. It integrates the top three snow field resources in the country and is the only provincial-level high-quality development platform for ice and snow economy in China. Jilin Beidahu Sports Tourism Economic Development Zone was established in April, 2003 with the approval of Jilin Provincial People’s Government. It is currently the only provincial-level development zone in China with sports tourism as its leading industry. The planned control area is 126 square kilometers, with a core area of 35 square kilometers.

Jilin Ice and Snow Experimental Zone adheres to the principle of “drawing a blueprint to the end”, coordinates planning, promotes high-level development, scientifically plans regional development layout, and clarifies the overall requirements for all work in the area in the next five years - with the goal of “cultivating a world-class ice and snow industry and creating a world-class ice and snow brand”, taking the “post-Winter Olympics era” and “post-pandemic era” as opportunities, leading the high-quality development of ice and snow tourism, creating 5A level tourist attractions and national level tourist resorts as carriers, and assisting in summer leisure and sports expansion. Efforts are made to give full play to the main battlefield of the ice and snow experimental zone as a tourist and cultural city, a modern industrial base booster, an innovation and entrepreneurship highland demonstration area, and an ecological livable city leading area, accelerating the construction of China’s first single ski resort with the highest passenger flow and China’s first million-person-time ski resort, creating Asia’s number one and world-class super-large-scale skiing resort.

2.3 Contact method

Postal code: 132000

Contact person: Duan Mingkui

Tel: +86-432-64202626，+86-18643213711

E-mail: 1419035232@qq.com

Contact method of the city (prefecture) where the project is located:

Contact unit: Investment Promotion Service Center of Jilin Cooperation and Exchange Office

Contact person: Wang Yanchao

Tel: +86-15843218881