With Beijing's Winter Olympics a year away, a ski resort in northeastern China has seen a notable uptick in tourists this year. CGTN's Huang Yue has more from Jilin Province.

HUANG YUE Jilin City, Jilin Province "I'm now inside a cable car. You can take a bird's-eye view of the Lake Songhua Ski Resort, which covers an area of 350,000 square meters. It can accommodate 2,000 people skiing at the same time. Let's check it out!"

Originally built in the 1960s, Lake Songhua Ski Resort, located in the city of Jilin, becomes one of the most popular outdoor resorts in the country.

Ever since Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the resort has witnessed considerable growth in tourist numbers – from 80,000 guests in 2015 to over 560,000 in 2019.

ZHAO ZHICHAO Tourist from Liaoning Province "The number of people who come here to ski has grown in spurts, especially since last year. Only two or three of my friends went skiing before, but now, it seems each person has over ten friends who are giving the sport a try."

DAN DAN Tourist from Shenzhen "Many of my friends started taking skiing lessons last year, and we fell in love with the sport. It's fun to come up to China's northern cities to ski."

FABIO Tourist from Italy "This is the first time I come and ski in China. Before I used to go back to Italy and Europe. But due to the recent (pandemic) situation, I decided for this year, I'll just stay in China and that's why I come here for skiing."

Lake Songhua Resort has signed a cooperative deal with Beijing's Yanqing District – one of the competition areas of the 2022 games – to serve as a training center for skiing teams.

Preferential benefits for city residents – like free skiing classes for elementary and high school students – are also a plus.

General manager Zhao Lanju says if there's no resurgence of COVID-19 in China, the resort expects to receive over 700,000 tourists this year.

ZHAO LANJU General Manager of Lake Songhua Ski Resort "I don't think the Beijing 2022 Games will be a zenith for China's skiing industry. It's more like a new milestone. As a business insider, I'm very confident about the future development of the country's skiing industry."

According to China's Ice and Snow Sports Development Plan, the number of ski resorts in the country is expected to jump to 1000 in 2025, from just over 500 resorts in 2015, while China's snow sports industry is expected to surpass 150 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. Huang Yue, CGTN, Jilin City, Jilin Province.