Ski resorts develop cool ideas to promote summer visits

When the temperature in many parts of the country exceeded 40 C, tourists at Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin province were wearing down jackets and screaming with fun on the snow loop slide at minus 5 C.

According to the ski resort, last winter the consumption per capita reached 800 yuan ($112). This summer, by selling cool and refreshing experiences, daily visits to the ski resort surpassed 10,000, with per customer transactions amounting to around 300 yuan.

The snow making machines at Beidahu Ski Resort, the core equipment for maintaining a 30,000 square meter ski slope, were still active in July. The operator calculated that the maintenance cost of each square meter of ski slope is about 15 yuan per day. By transforming the primary ski slope into a snow ring slide, it can accommodate up to 5,000 people per day. Unlike winter professional skiers, 65 percent of summer tourists are families with children, while 42 percent come from southern regions. They are more willing to pay for experiences such as snowmobiles and ice house coffee.