00:00 Given the expected growth in the Chinese market, the world's leading ski binding producer Tyrolia
00:08 is developing and testing new products for its future customers.
00:13 With this testing machine we can simulate various scenarios during skiing.
00:18 For example here we have the backward twist fall.
00:24 For almost a hundred years Tyrolia has been producing ski bindings at its headquarters near the Vienna airport.
00:31 Every third binding on the market is produced at these premises.
00:36 While millions of bindings are sold in Europe and North America, the Chinese market is still relatively small but promising.
00:44 Ski producers are hoping for winter sports sales in China to at least return to pre-Covid levels.
00:51 Back in 2016 the world's major ski brands sold 56,000 pairs in China.
00:58 Then during Covid sales figures plummeted to only 14,000.
01:03 But the latest numbers show signs that this winter season could reveal the highest sales so far.
01:10 China is definitely a very important market for us.
01:12 It's the only market where we expect growth in the future, whereas all the other markets are stable or even slightly declining.
01:19 So we hope to be back on pre-Covid level this season and then we expect another growth of two times or three times in the next five to ten years.
01:28 A hopeful outlook for a declining sector.
01:31 After a sales peak in the 80s, ski producers consecutively lost more than half of their customers,
01:37 as the sport became too luxurious and difficult to access for many.
01:41 Reason enough for Tyrolia to expand its business in China.
01:45 Johannes Blechberger, CGTN, Schwechat, near Vienna.
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