Scrolling through his social media feed on WeChat, Oliver Hammel has noticed a quiet but telling shift.

Former colleagues from his years in China, many of whom had never set foot on snow before, are now posting photos and videos from ski resorts, documenting their first attempts at skiing and snowboarding.

For Hammel, chief executive officer of Jungfrau Railways — which operates the Jungfraujoch, known as the "Top of Europe" and home to the continent's highest railway station, at Valais in the Swiss canton of Bern — this is more than a social media trend. It reflects a deeper transformation underway in China — one that is beginning to ripple across the global winter sports industry.

European winter destinations and alpine tourism businesses are increasingly seeking new growth opportunities as China steps up policy support for its "ice and snow economy", a move highlighted in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), passed at the annual meeting of China's national legislature in March.

Backed by continued government support and building on the legacy of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China's push to expand winter sports participation — already surpassing 300 million people — and upgrade the industry is reshaping its domestic market while creating fresh demand for overseas experiences, particularly in Europe's established ski destinations.

For European stakeholders, this signals a structural shift rather than a short-term surge — one that could reshape demand across the global winter sports industry.

At its core, this shift is unfolding on three fronts: the rapid growth of China's domestic ski market, the emergence of cross-border collaboration across the winter sports value chain, and a new generation of Chinese skiers seeking more advanced experiences abroad. Together, these trends are positioning China as an increasingly influential force in the global winter tourism economy.