Abstract

<p>The development of ski areas would bring socio-economic benefits to mountain regions. At present, the ski industry in China is developing rapidly, and the number of ski areas is increasing dramatically. However, the understanding of the spatial pattern and driving factors for these ski areas is limited. This study collected detailed data about ski areas and their surrounding natural and economic factors in China. Criteria for classification of ski areas were proposed, and a total of 589 alpine ski areas in China were classified into three types: ski resorts for vacationing (va-ski resorts), ski areas for learning (le-ski areas) and ski parks to experience skiing (ex-ski parks), with proportions of 2.1%, 15.4% and 82.5%, respectively, which indicated that the Chinese ski industry was still dominated by small-sized ski areas. The overall spatial patterns of ski areas were clustered with a nearest neighbor indicator (NNI) of 0.424, in which ex-ski parks and le-ski areas exhibited clustered distributions with NNIs of 0.44 and 0.51, respectively, and va-ski resorts were randomly distributed with an NNI of 1.04. The theory and method of spatial autocorrelation were first used to analyze the spatial pattern and driving factors of ski areas. The results showed that ski areas in cities had a positive spatial autocorrelation with a Moran’s index value of 0.25. The results of Local Indications of Spatial Association (LISA) showed that ski areas were mainly concentrated in 3 regions: the Beijing-centered Yanshan-Taihang Mountains and Shandong Hill areas, the Harbin-centered Changbai Mountain areas and the Urumqi-centered Tianshan-Altay Mountain areas. The first location was mainly driven by socio-economic factors, and the latter two locations were mainly driven by natural factors. Ski tourism in China still faces many challenges. The government sector should strengthen supervision, develop a ski industry alliance, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the ski industry in the future.</p>

Highlights

  • Today, skiing is a competitive winter sport or a recreational activity, and resorts mainly rely on snow and climate resources

  • The results showed that the spatial pattern of ski areas in China were clustered 3w.2it.h1. aGneNogNraIpohfic0.C42h4araancdtezri-sstciocsre of −26.78 (p < 0.01), which means that this clustered pattern had a likeClihhionoadisoaf lmesosutnhtaanin1o%usofcobuenintgryawraitnhdaobmunddisatnritbmutoiounn.taLine-sreksioaurercaessa. nTdheexte-srkrai ipnairskhs iwgherienatlhsoe wcluessttearnedd dloiwstriinbutthieonesaswt iathndNmNaI ivnalyluhesasofth0r.5e1e atenrdra0c.e4s4. aAnsdthz-escfiorrsetsaonfd−h8i.g95heasntdte−rr2a3c.5e7o, freCshpiencati,vtehley

  • A new classification criteria was established based on existing standards and actual situation of ski areas

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Summary

Introduction

Today, skiing is a competitive winter sport or a recreational activity, and resorts mainly rely on snow and climate resources. With the flourishing development of the ski industry, a great quantity of research has been carried out, mainly focusing on the operation management and service quality of ski resorts [9–13], skiing equipment improvement and injury prevention [14–20] and avalanche risk prediction in skiing [21–23]. These studies provide a theoretical basis for the long-term and stable development of the ski industry and provide technical support and security guarantees for skiers

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