Benny Wu, author of the authoritative guide to rapidly expanding ski industry, reports that there are now 26 indoor snow centres open across the country, a rise of five during 2018 compared to the 2017 figure.  Several more are under construction.

Mr Wu’s China Ski Industry White Book 2018, available to download via the download section at industry consultant Laurent Vanat’s site: vanat.ch, reports construction growth running at more than 23% for the facilities in China.

The 26 Chinese indoor snow centres take the world total for currently operational centres to 90 on six continents, with more than a quarter of the facilities in China, including the world’s current largest in Harbin.

26 is also more than double the maximum number of indoor snow centres which have ever previously operated in one country, Japan, in the 1990s, where there were 12 operating at the peak of the indoor skiing and snowboarding boom there.  More than half of these have subsequently closed.

More than half of the world’s indoor snow centres are now located in Asia with India another country where the number of facilities is rapidly expanding, with at least seven indoor snow centres open. However whilst the Chinese centres are mostly aimed at encouraging people to try snowsports like skiing and snowboarding, the Indian centres are mostly snow experience and fun theme park style attractions.