Promoting the high-quality growth of ice and snow tourism in China requires understanding the patterns of industrial development and anticipating the emerging trends. The developmental history and features of China’s ice and snow tourism are systematically examined in this paper, which also refines the evolutionary patterns of the industry’s growth and looks at the emerging trends. The conclusions are threefold. (1) This paper divides the developmental history of China’s ice and snow tourism into the budding exploration phase, the initial growth phase, the rapid development phase, the Winter Olympics driving phase, and the high-quality development phase. During the budding exploration phase, the initial market foundation for ice and snow tourism was established. In the initial growth phase, the ice and snow tourism industry began to take shape. The rapid development phase was characterized by ice and snow sports tourism. The foundation of the ice and snow tourist industry was established during the Winter Olympics driving phase. The high-quality development phase is now being guided by the principles of ecological civilization and the sports power strategy and the tourism powerhouse strategy. (2) The spatial layout of ice and snow tourism has changed from a localized and dispersed distribution to one of comprehensive development mainly centered in the Northeast, North China and Northwest represented by Xinjiang province. The evolution of ice and snow tourism technology presents localized, diversified, and high-end characteristics. The evolution of the industry presents vertical extension of the industrial chain, horizontally integrated development, and the comprehensive development of resorts. The evolution of the ice and snow tourism market has been characterized by the diversity of tourist demands, a northward flow of tourists from southern regions, and standardization of quality inspection. (3) There are four emerging trends in the development of China’ ice and snow tourism, including new productivity to propel the intelligent, sustainable, and localized transformation of winter sports equipment and venues; climate change to accelerate the evolution of regional ice-snow tourism landscapes; innovations in digital technology to change ice-snow tourism consumption scenarios; and innovations in consumption patterns to reshape supply-side development.

Intensifying global climate change and the upgrading of China’s ice and snow industry in the post-Winter Olympics period place new demands on the spatial allocation of tourism resources. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region functions as a national strategic demonstration zone for coordinated regional development. Optimization of the spatiotemporal distribution of ice and snow tourism resources in this region remains a key research issue. This study applies ArcGIS spatial analysis to examine the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of multiple types of ice and snow tourism resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region over four observation periods (2010, 2015, 2020, and 2025). Recent development trends are identified using the latest available statistical data. The results show that the number of ice and snow tourism resources follows a phased growth pattern characterized by “initial emergence, steady growth, and rapid expansion”. The Winter Olympics bidding and hosting stages function as key driving nodes. In spatial terms, the distribution pattern evolves from a relatively dispersed macro-scale structure to distinct local hotspot clusters centered on Chongli in Zhangjiakou and Yanqing in Beijing. The spatial pattern shows “northwest concentration and southeast dispersion”, with the centroid gradually shifting northwestward and forming contiguous clusters. Analysis of influencing factors indicates that policy orientation acts as the central driving force. Winter Olympics-related planning and regional coordination policies strongly promote resource agglomeration. Natural conditions provide the basic environmental foundation, while improvements in transportation accessibility strengthen regional connectivity. Socioeconomic development and market demand shape the intensity and scope of resource development. These findings provide a scientific basis for coordinated development and sustainable spatial planning of ice and snow tourism in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The successful 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and the th Asian Winter Games in Harbin in 2025 have accelerated the growth of ski tourism in China. However, this rapid expansion has also led to a trend of homogenisation among ski tourism destinations. As a result, identifying unique attributes and establishing differentiated positioning have become critical challenges for these destinations. Prior literature shows that the destination image and features play important roles in market positioning. However, due to the new changes in the tourism market, the effectiveness of destination positioning has been adversely affected by the lack of identifying market segments and matching differentiated strategies. This study examines four ski tourism destinations in the Chengdu region of Sichuan Province, China, using destination positioning and value co-creation theory. First, the unique attributes of the destinations are identified using the word frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) and correspondence analysis (Study 1). Second, the ski tourism market is segmented based on tourists’ demand through factor analysis, cluster analysis, and other methods(Study 2). Third, the study matches demand-side preferences (tourists) with the supply-side advantages of the destinations to develop differentiated strategies. The findings demonstrate that differentiated competitive positioning is appropriate and effective, offering practical marketing strategies to help ski tourism destinations overcome the homogenisation dilemma and enhance their appeal and competitiveness. In addition, the study introduces a new theoretical analysis framework for destination positioning, contributing to the further improvement of the marketing system.

This study examines the ice and snow intangible cultural heritage resources in Northeast China as the research object. From the perspective of activation and utilization entities (primarily cultural and tourism integrated development and operation enterprises, hereinafter referred to as development and operation enterprises), it analyzes the typological characteristics and spatial distribution patterns of these resources. Using “ice and snow intangible cultural heritage tourism” as the keyword, mainstream media news reports were collected, and text analysis methods were applied for data processing. Through manual close reading and analysis of the sample news reports, development models such as festival exhibitions, folk art performances, and skill-based experiences were summarized. The Grounded Theory research method was used to code the raw news reports under each model, thereby extracting the implementation paths of the festival exhibition, folk art performance, and skill experience modes.

Traditional culture is a crucial pillar for the sustainable development of the tourism industry. This study aims to uncover the intrinsic value of traditional ice and snow cultural elements and examine their role in empowering the sustainable development of ice and snow sports tourism, thereby supporting the goal of building a leading ice and snow sports nation. By applying documentary research and logical analysis, this study systematically elucidates the connotative characteristics through which traditional ice and snow cultural elements contribute to sustainable tourism development, identifies key practical challenges constraining this sector, and proposes targeted and actionable development pathways. The findings indicate that traditional ice and snow cultural elements have evolved primarily through two historical stages—ancient and modern—characterized by continuity, regional specificity, and cultural richness. These elements empower ice and snow sports tourism by providing diverse cultural resources and a sustained historical narrative. However, current development faces several challenges, including superficial cultural exploration, homogenized development models, low participation in traditional cultural activities, and the distortion or alienation of cultural elements in some tourism projects. Accordingly, this study proposes four development pathways: (1) Constructing a deep cultural narrative system to transform tourist experiences from “landscape presentation” to “cultural immersion”; (2) Promoting the creative transformation of traditional techniques and activities to build a distinctive cultural IP product system; (3) Strengthening regional cultural identifiers by implementing a differentiated “one region, one product” strategy that integrates culture, sports, and tourism; and (4) systematically organizing and revitalizing the history of modern Sino-Western exchange in ice and snow culture to enhance cultural depth and international dialogue capabilities. Collectively, these measures aim to promote the substantive, high-quality, and sustainable development of ice and snow sports tourism.

Ski tourism has become a hotspot in the tourism industry due to its high revisit rate. Accurate assessment of its experience quality is crucial for enhancing tourists’ revisit intentions and promoting the high-quality development of the ski industry. Based on the expectation-disconfirmation theory, this study comprehensively applies the LDA model, Text-CNN model, and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to examine 103503 online reviews from 55 ski resorts across nearly 10 ski seasons (2015/2016-2024/2025) in China. It constructs evaluation indicators for ski tourism experience quality and conducts an evaluation and comparison of the experience quality in the four major ski tourism areas: Northeast, North, Northwest, and East of China. The results indicate: (1) 16 influencing factors on ski tourism experience quality were identified, including the newly recognized factors of Ski Instructor Quality and Peer Interaction; (2) In terms of the evolutionary characteristics of experience quality, Established ski regions (Northeast and Northwest) show slow experience improvements, while emerging regions (North and East China) exhibit rapid progress; (3) Overall, North China leads in experience quality, followed by Northeast, Northwest, and East of China; (4) In comparing influencing factors, Natural Scenery, Emotional Perception, and Peer Interaction are common advantages across the four ski tourism areas, while Price Perception is a shared disadvantage. This study systematically evaluated the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of experience quality in major ski tourism areas of China, providing theoretical basis and practical insights for precise improvement of tourism experiences in various regions.

Investigating the behavioral characteristics and influencing factors of ski resort tourists’ decision-making in southern China holds significant practical value for the development of winter sports tourism markets in the region. Grounded in push-pull theory, this study employs an integrated methodological approach that combines text analysis, genetic algorithm-based fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the determinants and patterns underlying ski tourism decisions in resorts across southern China.The findings reveal that the pursuit of novel experiences, enriching life experiences, promotional recommendations, cost-effectiveness, facilities and services, and travel constraints constitute the six core factors influencing decision-making among ski tourists in southern China. Genetic algorithm-based fuzzy comprehensive evaluation demonstrates that “enriching life experiences” and “the pursuit of novel experiences” have the highest weight coefficients, indicating that tourists predominantly focus on the value-added life experiences and novelty derived from skiing activities. Through configuration analysis, six condition combinations were identified and categorized into three typical decision-making patterns: experience-driven, promotion-guided and price-sensitive, and trade-off decision-making. These findings provide practical insights for improving marketing management and service optimization in ski resorts across southern China while also contributing to the expansion of tourist behavior decision-making research.

With the increasing popularity of ski tourism, issues related to tourism service quality have become prominent. As the core venue for ski tourism, it is particularly important to establish a standardized service quality evaluation index system for ski resorts. As consumers, experiencers, and participants in tourism activities, tourists play a crucial role in the establishment of the service quality evaluation index system. This study evaluated the service quality of ski resorts from the perspective of ski tourists, focusing on six ski resorts (Zhangjiakou Taiwu Ski Resort, Jilin Songhua Lake Ski Resort, Altay Jiangjunshan Ski Resort, Harbin Yabuli Ski Resort, Guangzhou Sunac Snow Park, and Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort). Grounded theory was used to analyze online texts from the Ctrip website and interview data of tourists. The service quality evaluation system for ski resorts in China primarily included 4 main dimensions (Site Quality, Supporting Facilities, Operations Management, and Staff Service) and 18 specific indicators. These dimensions were interrelated and jointly determined tourists’ ski tourism experience and satisfaction.

Guided by the “means-ends” chain and grounded theories, this study first constructed a perceived value system for tourists in ice and snow tourism destinations, including 18 main and 39 corresponding categories at three levels—attributes, consequences, and values—and used a social network analysis to generate a clear network system map for the perceived value of tourists. Second, this map deconstructs the relationships among the attributes, consequences, and values in tourists’ perceived value systems. Analyzing the eight most dominant perceived value chains reveals that happiness, sense of accomplishment, and sense of belonging are the most critical perceived values of ice and snow tourists. Further, the related consequences of enriching experiences, restoration, and emotional reactions as well as the attributes of tourism resources, infrastructure, and tourism activities are important factors that trigger tourists’ key perceived values. This study presents the perceived value of tourists in ice and snow tourism destinations, provides a new method and perspective for studying their perceived value, and analyzes the effectiveness of improving the supply of ice and snow tourism destinations based on this perceived value.

Volunteer activities based on national parks represent a crucial pathway for public participation in the construction of ecological civilization, as well as an important means for national parks to achieve public welfare goals. Hainan National Park science popularization and education volunteers were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey, yielding 437 valid responses. PLS-SEM was employed to test the conceptual model of “learning outcomes-meaningfulness/environmental passion-daily pro-environmental behavior”. The findings indicate that learning outcomes (knowledge accumulation, skill cultivation, changes in environmental attitude, and self-reflection) positively influence both meaningfulness and environmental passion; meaningfulness positively influences environmental passion; and both meaningfulness and environmental passion positively affect daily pro-environmental behavior. Specifically, meaningfulness mediates the relationships between knowledge accumulation, changes in environmental attitude, self-reflection, and daily pro-environmental behavior, while environmental passion mediates the relationships between knowledge accumulation, skill cultivation, changes in environmental attitude, self-reflection, and daily pro-environmental behavior. This study clarifies the connotations and dimensions of learning outcomes from national park science popularization and education volunteer activities and enriches research on the mechanisms promoting pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, it provides valuable practical implications for national parks.

Ecotourism in national parks represents an important pathway for synergistically advancing ecological conservation and sustainable development. Based on a review of domestic practices in national park ecotourism development and focusing on core attractions, this paper systematically proposes four representative development models: the “Forest Wellness+” model, the “Flagship Species-Centered” model, the “Eco-Cultural Tourism” model, and the “Nature Quest” model. This study examines case studies from national parks such as Tangwanghe, Giant Panda, Zoige, and the Yellow River Estuary, and the core characteristics and limitations of each model. The main findings are as follows: (1) All four models are grounded in high-quality ecological resources and generate economic benefits for local communities through tourism activities, thereby achieving multiple objectives, including ecological conservation, tourism development, and community revitalization. (2) The models differ significantly in terms of target visitor groups, resource dependence, and seasonal adaptability, and each faces distinct challenges, such as market homogenization, human-wildlife conflict, insufficient cultural interpretation, and climatic constraints. (3) To promote model optimization and long-term sustainability, it is essential to adapt and innovate development models according to local conditions, enhance technology-enabled smart management, and transcend administrative boundaries to establish regional collaborative networks. This study provides an in-depth exploration of the underlying operational logic of ecotourism models in China’s national parks. It offers precise, replicable development paradigms for different park types, thereby contributing to the standardization and sustainability of ecotourism within China’s national park system.

Tourism often burdens destination environments, making the promotion of “green consumption”—that is, environmentally responsible consumer behavior—crucial for sustainable tourism. Travel photography, an emerging tourism service wherein visitors don local traditional attire for professional photo shoots, prioritizes experiential value over material consumption and consumes relatively few direct resources. This study investigates whether and how travel photography serves as a pathway to green consumption at tourism destinations. Using a mixed-methods approach, including a survey of 203 travel photography participants and 14 in-depth interviews with producers in Shangri-La, Yunnan, China, we aim to identify the mechanisms through which travel photography encourages green consumption and the factors influencing this process. The results show that travel photography satisfies tourists’ desire for immersive cultural experiences while reducing reliance on resource-intensive activities. Thus, strong policy support is needed for sustainable emerging tourism sector development.

This study focuses on Siguniang Town, a mountain tourism destination, to explore the subjective well-being (SWB) of non-standard workers and its influencing mechanisms with the aim of promoting sustainable destination management. Employing Grounded Theory, the research identifies the key factors affecting the SWB of non-standard workers, which are categorized into two dimensions namely life satisfaction and value identification and highlights that health perception is a critical determinant of SWB. Further analysis using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) reveals that the well-being of non-standard workers is shaped by both internal factors such as self-actualization and external factors including occupational characteristics, religious beliefs and social structures based on kinship and locality. The results indicate that even without professional enthusiasm or social recognition, a sense of self-fulfillment remains essential to their well-being, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions among these factors and their collective role in shaping the well-being of non-standard workers in mountain tourism destinations. This research contributes to the theoretical framework for the sustainable management of non-standard employment in tourism and provides empirical insights for promoting long-term regional development in destinations such as Siguniang Town.