China-Swiss Friendship Deepens: Switzerland, the Major Honored Guest Country, Supports the World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo 2017

BEIJING, May 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With the development of China-Swiss relations, the winter sport industry has become one of the focuses of the two countries. World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo 2017 ("WWSE," will be held Sept. 7-10 in Beijing) will keep up with the development trend, inviting Switzerland as the Major Honored Guest Country to start relevant cooperation and promote the development of winter sport industry, enhancing WWSE to a new stage. WWSE is co-organized by Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and International Data Group (IDG).

Since the successful bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, China's winter sport industry ushered in a golden period. In order to promote the comprehensive development of the industry, the state has successively promulgated The Plan of Health China 2030, Guidelines to Accelerate the Development of Sports Industry and Promote Sports Market, National Fitness Program (2016-2020), The Outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan for Sports Development, The Development Plan for Winter Sports (2016-2025) and The Construction Plan for National Winter Sports Facilities (2016-2022), which support the goal of "involving 300 million people" from the perspective of politics, target path, industrial policy, safeguard measures, the implementation of the main body.

As Switzerland has excellent and reliable snow conditions as well as a long-standing winter sports tradition. It has hosted and organized several winter sports events it provides a good example of winter tourism. Its ski areas lie in the highest part of Alps, creating the longest, most challenging and joyous ski trails; its intensive ski resorts are connected by extensive transport networks, creating an excellent tourist destination. In addition, Swiss Quality ensures the warm and comfortable ski villages and towns; it also has innovative technologies, facilities and learning experience. All those exceptional advantages have won Switzerland the reputation of "Home of Snow Sports".

It satisfies tourists of different needs, meeting the demand for sports and leisure. Oxford University and Switzerland Tourism predicted that, by 2022, the number of Chinese tourists to Switzerland is expected to reach 2 million. The Chinese market has become Switzerland's fourth largest overseas tourist market. Since the end of 2012, Switzerland Tourism has been actively promoting Swiss winter tourism projects in China, the four-year effort of which has shown effective results: during the winter of 2015 and 2016, the total number of overnight Chinese tourists staying in Swiss mountain areas reached 189,148, accounting for 44.7% of total overnights for all regions. Switzerland Tourism, as an important international exhibitor of first WWSE, is optimistic about the growth of the Chinese winter market. During the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017, President Xi Jinping visited Switzerland and signed a cooperation agreement with Doris Leuthard, President of Switzerland, to jointly launch the "2017 China-Switzerland Tourism Year" and deepen the cooperation in winter sports industry. Switzerland Tourism will also hold a series of online and offline activities in China for the public, and bring the best winter lifestyle of "Switzerland - Home of Snow Sport" to Chinese tourists.

WWSE is one of the world's largest and most authoritative winter sports exhibitions. Switzerland has actively participated in and strongly supported the WWSE since its first debut in 2016. In 2016, over 40 exhibitors from 20 regions and institutions of Switzerland participated in the first WWSE, displaying their winter scenery to winter sports lovers and industry insiders. It also has supported and promoted China's winter sport industry and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. WWSE 2017 will invite Switzerland as the Major Honored Guest Country as well as a partner, adopt professional international institutions of the winter sport industry, and enhance the development of tourism, business, sports and education, perfecting the presentation content of this year's WWSE.

Themed with "Leading the Way," the WWSE 2017 is co-organized by Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and International Data Group (IDG), with integration of the advantages of world's leading winter sports powers. Through exhibitions, summit forums, supporting activities and trade negotiations, WWSE integrates various contents of winter sports, winter sports industry, travel and leisure and youth training. WWSE 2017 sets up eight highlights: to strengthen the government system and organization cooperation, to introduce winter sports into schools, to enhance winter sports services and IP, to invite more international brands, to conduct snow slope experience activities, to carry out cooperation with the Major Honored Guest Country, to hold the Olympic City Development Forum, and to hold winter sports entrepreneurship competitions.

The exhibition area of WWSE will be divided into seven sections, including national and regional sections, winter travel destinations, machinery & equipment, mountain & winter sports hi-tech, winter garments and accessories, Internet + sports, winter sports games and culture as well as an interactive experience zone. It will greatly improve the opportunities of winter sports culture and the industry including the aspects of winter sports industry chain, educational resources, tourism, culture, facilities and equipment, events and competitions, security interaction and pan-entertainment.

WWSE forums will also integrate Switzerland's winter sports experience and data, and conduct discussions on the topics of Olympic city development, introducing winter sports into schools, winter sports tech innovation, ski resort operation and management, skating rink operation and management, winter sports tourism industry, winter sports talent training, pan-entertainment of winter sports industry, winter sports entrepreneurship competitions and winter sports marketing. At the same time, it also steadily carries out supporting activities, including Industry Analysis on China Winter Sports, the Accreditation of Top 30 Ski Resorts in China, the Accreditation of Popular Winter Sports Club and Top 10 Winter Tourism Destinations.

WWSE 2017 will be held from September 7 to 10 at the China National Convention Center in cooperation with the Major Honored Guest Country, Switzerland, to promote the development of winter sport industry and the market, bringing WWSE to a new stage.

The preparations for WWSE 2017 have run smoothly. Many countries, including Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Canada, Japan and Norway, have confirmed or initially confirmed to send their teams. Now many famous brands are enrolled in, including: AST, TechoAlpin, Doppelmayr, MND, SMI, Carving, Yahao, CTC, Elan, Jack Wolfskin, Alpine Pro and so on. The team of WWSE has convened or participated in special introduction and marketing events to promote WWSE in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), Munich (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), Tampere (Finland), Aarhus (Denmark), Innsbruck (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic) and Lahti (Finland).

SOURCE International Data Group (IDG)