According to UNWTO [29], “a tourism destination is a physical space with or without administrative and/or analytical boundaries in which a visitor can spend an overnight; it is the cluster (co-location) of products and services, and of activities and experiences along the tourism value chain and a basic unit of analysis of tourism; it is also intangible with its image and identity which may influence its market competitiveness.” Accordingly, an ice–snow destination is a cluster of ice–snow tourism components. A variety of activities are helpful in reducing the vulnerability of ice–snow destinations [15]. From this, it can be concluded that a variety of attractive activities in the ice–snow background are key elements of ice–snow tourism and are deservedly the main content of ice–snow marketing. Therefore, making consumers aware of ice–snow tourism activities at a destination is crucial for marketing. Research that systematically summarizes relevant activities in northern destinations of China is still insufficient. 

From the relevant literature, some advantages of ice–snow tourism can be found. First, it has a unique charm. Ice–snow destinations are always quiet, lack crowds, and are certainly beautiful [30], and some destinations are characterized by a distinctive ice and snow culture [31]. Ice–snow tourism alters the landscape seasonally, calms the mood [26], facilitates solitude [27], and promotes physical health [28], etc. Second, it is of significance for a destination. Ice–snow tourism is helpful in activating and inheriting the local folk culture [32] and can also explore the service potential of the tourism facilities in northern areas [33]. Meanwhile, according to some studies [30], it is believed to have relatively fewer negative effects on the environment due to the land being protected by ice and snow. Third, there are many interesting ice–snow tourism activities. Snow tourism activities include dogsledding, snowmobile touring, snowshoe hiking, snow-kiting, trophy hunting, different kinds of skiing, snow kayaking, speed flying, and many others; ice tourism activities include ice-climbing, ice-fishing, ice go-karting, ice yachting, ice diving, ice hockey, and others [34,35,36]. Given the above, marketing ice–snow tourism in major tourist source regions is a very worthy topic to discuss, being of great significance for both consumers and destinations. However, ice–snow tourism marketing strategies that target Southerners have not been fully explored yet. This study attempts to probe into this issue.

Relevant articles also reveal some problems of ice–snow tourism. First, climate change makes ice–snow tourism unstable because of the uncertainty of snow [21], and snow reduction caused by climate change is a challenge for ski services [37]. Additionally, the rough climate conditions stifle self-reliance, making guided activities preferred but weakening tourists’ participation willingness for activities requiring more self-reliance [38]. We suppose that for sustainable operation, even under unfavorable climate conditions, the operators also need to make some tourism activities available, which should be tourists’ preferred activities. Second, some studies indicate that tourists stay for shorter periods in ice–snow destinations compared with summer tourism locations [30,39]. Therefore, one task for operators is to extend the length of time tourists stay. It is supposed that a better-matched ice–snow tourism supply with tourists’ demand could contribute to this. Third, on the one hand, the demand for ice–snow tourism is on the rise, and alternative activities of ice–snow sports are increasing [40]. On the other hand, some studies show that worldwide, the number of ski tourists has not increased appreciably in the past 10 years [41]. So, we can infer that new growth points of ice–snow tourism lie in non-athletic activities. However, the reality goes against this. Operators in many winter resorts still consider skiing the key experience for ice–snow tourists [15], and more than 2084 ski resorts operate in 67 countries worldwide, although ski participants occupy a small portion of people, with 60% of them being under 35 years old [18]. Moreover, first-time skiers, amateurs, and professionals have different demands for skiing [42]. This demonstrates that many operators do not know what new growth points of ice–snow tourism they should supply. Coping with the above issues relies on optimizing ice–snow tourism supplies on which many previous pieces of research focus. Nevertheless, research on optimizing supplies for Southerners (the major tourist source in China) is still insufficient. 

Based on previous research, it can be concluded that more ice–snow tourists are interested in non-athletic activities and show a strong willingness to relax. For example, the interest of German tourists in skiing is declining while other activities are arousing their interest [19]; most of them prefer more relaxing ice–snow tourism activities such as hiking, sightseeing, and enjoying hot springs [14]. In Italy and France, even in ski resorts, almost half of the tourists ski only a little or not at all; they instead spend their time relaxing, experiencing local food and customs, and engaging in other activities [43]. Many tourists are more interested in experiencing the lifestyle in the northern area [16] or pursuing comfort and are less interested in skiing [44], and many individuals are highly interested in experiencing authentic nature [10]. Additionally, tourists prefer ice–snow destinations offering diversified activities [18]. In Norway, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing can only explain 24.47% of potential inbound tourists’ willingness to choose ice–snow destinations [45], and the rest need to be explained by other diversified items. Knowing the preferred activities of ice–snow tourists can provide a basis for the operational positioning of ice–snow destinations, and many relevant studies contribute to this. Furthermore, it's supposed that comparing consumers’ willingness for different ice–snow tourism activities can provide a more adequate basis for the positioning (choosing activities to offer and promote). 

Existing research reveals some factors that promote consumers’ ice–snow tourism willingness. Relative price is considered as a critical factor [46]. For example, for potential inbound ice–snow tourists in Norway, when the price of ice–snow tourism decreases by 1 unit (on a scale of 1–7), their willingness to visit increases by 9% [47]. In the Chopok Mountain of Slovakia, cheap food and ridiculously cheap beer provoke tourists’ desire to engage in ice–snow activities [48]. The volume of snowfall is another critical factor. According to Lapland’s data, over many years, the overnight stays of tourists from neighboring countries will increase by 5–7% if the number of days with a snow depth of above 30 cm increases by 10% [46]. Data from Austria from many resorts show if the snow thickness increases by 10%, the total overnight stays of tourists increase by 0.5% [49]. Other factors include individuals’ interest in ice–snow culture or skiing [47], awareness of potential benefits from ice–snow tourism [50], sense of immersion in a destination [51], etc. Existing studies analyzed influencing factors on ice–snow tourism. 

Meeting tourists’ willingness is the key operational goal of ice–snow destinations. Relevant articles also show lots of influencing factors on ice–snow tourists’ willingness, for example, snow resource instability and degradation caused by climate change [35], current temperature and wind speed [52], environmental conservation requirements [48], ice–snow training institutions [21], destination amenities [53], and the length of ski slopes [54], among others.

Through relevant articles, we can find that ice–snow tourism activities availability is the crucial factor for meeting tourists’ willingness. There are many negative examples of this. The tourism activities in many destinations are mainly snow sports [53], so the tourism demand of those who accompany their children or spouses cannot be satisfied [23]. A total of 42.3% of German tourists who choose the Alps as their destination in winter prefer non-athletic activities; however, their desire cannot be accommodated in destinations that mainly provide ice–snow sports services [15]. The limitation of recreational activities leads some northern destinations to not attract enough tourists in the winter, resulting in seasonality [55]. Therefore, to respond to the ice–snow tourism demand of different market segments, numerous and diverse activities should be available [23]. If various ice–snow tourism activities that arouse tourists’ interests and do not pose difficulties to participating are offered [37], and affordable no-skiing services are available when the ski destination can no longer meet skiers’ demand due to climate change [56], the diverse ice–snow tourism demand of consumers can be better met. Nevertheless, ice–snow tourism activities in many destinations are monotonous [17].