Ski industry booms as tourists take to slopes to escape summer heat

"A ski session usually lasts more than four hours, during which at least one meal is consumed. There are also many guests who choose to spend the night near the resort,"Ma explained, adding that to better serve an increasingly young customer base, the resort is also exploring derivative activities such as murder mystery games, afternoon tea and detective games.

This summer, nighttime tours and recreational activities such as a night in a theme park, night cruises and light shows have been popular choices among tourists.

According to data released by Fliggy on Thursday, in the past 30 days, bookings for nighttime tourism products placed on the platform had jumped over 25 percent compared with the same period of 2021.

Li Mengxian, brand director of Taihu Lake Longemont Paradise in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, said the resort has launched a variety of nighttime tourism products, including night performances, firework shows and nighttime tickets for the water world.

Journey to the Magic Land, a new, original circus performance produced by the resort, "has been close to capacity since its debut on Aug 6," according to Li.

Deng Ning, vice-dean of the School of Tourism Sciences at Beijing International Studies University, said that as the hot weather continues in South China, the cycle and scale of nighttime recreational activities are expected to hit a record high this year.