LAAX, one of Switzerland’s most renowned ski destinations and no 1 snowboarding destination in Europe, has selected Value China, in collaboration with QNT Simple Booking, part of the Zucchetti Group, to develop its new WeChat Mini Program dedicated to the Chinese market.
The project is designed to offer Chinese travellers a fully localised discovery and booking experience, seamlessly integrated into their native digital ecosystem.
Trends in sports and outdoor tourism
In recent years, the profile of the Chinese traveller has evolved significantly. Alongside major European cities and traditional cultural destinations, there is a rapidly growing interest in outdoor experiences, particularly winter and sommer sports, nature, and wellness. This shift has been accelerated by cultural and media drivers: from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which introduced over 313 million Chinese citizens to ice and snow activities, to the rise of athletes such as Eileen Gu, and the popularity of digital formats and TV programmes dedicated to skiing and alpine lifestyle. Nowadays, China has more than 720 indoor and outdoor snowsport installations.
At the same time, rising disposable income and the search for relaxation away from large metropolitan areas are pushing more families toward destinations that combine sports, nature, and family‑friendly services. Major Chinese travel platforms have recorded double‑digit growth in searches and bookings for winter destinations and outdoor activities over the past two years, a trend expected to strengthen further in the coming three years.
In this context, LAAX is ideally positioned to capture the interest of national and international Chinese speaking travellers: an iconic Alpine destination, one of Switzerland’s most renowned ski areas, a global capital for freestyle sports, and a reference point for visitors seeking nature, outdoor activities, and modern, family‑oriented hospitality.
The decision to develop a dedicated WeChat Mini Program, integrated with the powerful Simple Booking CRS and the WeChat Official Account, enables LAAX to enter the digital journey of Chinese travellers in a natural and frictionless way, providing direct access to information and booking.
The objective
LAAX’s objective was not simply to strengthen its presence in the Chinese market, but to reach Chinese travellers directly within their primary digital ecosystem, WeChat, by offering an official channel that simplifies hotel interaction and booking.
Specifically, LAAX needed to:
- Offer a frictionless booking experience fully adapted to Chinese user habits.
- Enhance loyalty and engagement through dedicated offers, personalised content, and immediate access to assistance.
- Collect valuable customer insights to improve retention and develop long‑term CRM strategies through targeted communications and promotions.
The project
To meet these needs, our team together with QNT Simple Booking, our partner specialised in booking engine solutions for the hospitality sector and part of the Zucchetti Group, developed a WeChat Mini Program that allows Chinese users to explore and book their stay at one of the destination’s three hotels: signinahotel, rocksresort, and Riders Hotel.
The Mini Program is also integrated with the LAAX WeChat Official Account, enabling users searching for destination information within the app to access the booking service without leaving the WeChat ecosystem. This eliminates the need for external platforms and ensures a simple, immediate, and uninterrupted user journey.
Thanks to real‑time synchronisation with the Simple Booking CRS, the Mini Program automatically updates availability, room types, and rates, ensuring accurate and reliable information. The experience is completed by a personal area where users can manage bookings and contact customer service directly.
Reaching Chinese travellers within their digital ecosystems
As outbound Chinese tourism continues to grow and increasingly gravitates toward outdoor and sports‑oriented experiences, developing localised digital touchpoints becomes a decisive competitive advantage.
Tools such as WeChat Mini Programs allow destinations to be present at the exact moment interest arises, offering immediate access to information and booking.
This is also a high‑value audience: Chinese travellers remain among the world’s highest spenders abroad, with average spending 50–70% higher than other markets and a strong preference for quality accommodation, premium services, and outdoor activities.
For destinations like LAAX, investing in digital solutions tailored to the Chinese market means not only responding to a trend, but strategically positioning themselves to attract a rapidly expanding, high‑potential segment.
About QNT Simple Booking
Our partner QNT develops and distributes Simple Booking, a CRS designed for hotels, resorts, and hotel groups, built to optimize direct booking management and ensure a clear, reliable, and real‑time updated sales flow.
Part of the Zucchetti Group, QNT supports hospitality businesses in integrating their systems with major digital channels and the operational needs of international hotel management.
Its ability to connect seamlessly with external platforms makes QNT Simple Booking a strategic partner for projects targeting markets that require localised solutions such as China, where presence within native digital ecosystems is essential to capture demand and facilitate booking.