Cities cashing in on winter tourism boom

China is expected to see booming ice and snow tourism ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, said a report released by the China Tourism Academy at a forum in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on Jan 5.

From late 2018 to early 2019, China received 224 million domestic and overseas tourists to enjoy ice and snow, an increase of 13.7 percent from the previous season, according to the report.

Winter tourism revenue reached 386 billion yuan ($56 billion), a year-on-year increase of 17.1 percent.

According to the report, the most popular winter tourism destinations are Harbin; Changchun in Jilin; Zhangjiakou in Hebei; Shenyang in Liaoning; Urumqi in Xinjiang; Jilin city in Jilin; Hulun Buir in Inner Mongolia; Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang; Altay in Xinjiang and Yichun in Heilongjiang.

Harbin holds first place. The cities of Mudanjiang and Yichun entered the list due to their rich ice and snow resources.

After years of development their winter tourism routes and products have formed a relatively mature system and become a popular choice for tourists.

The 36th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival started on Jan 5 and will run till the beginning of April, overlapping some of China's traditional holidays.

During the festival, a major event for the "Ice City" of Harbin to welcome tourists, a series of activities will be held. These include tourism, culture, fashion, sports and trade.

Last winter, more than 1 million tourists visited the 20th Harbin Ice and Snow World, a key part of the festival.

The park is built with ice rather than regular construction materials. More than 220,000 cubic meters of ice and snow have been used to construct the park this year.

In the park, tourists can enjoy 21 groups of buildings including the 40-meter-high tower Crown of Ice and Snow.

"I have visited an indoor ice and snow theme park in our city and I was amazed by the exquisite ice sculptures," said Li Ting, a 35-year-old visitor from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province. "However, I was shocked when I entered the ice and snow world made of huge ice buildings."

Li visited the park in Harbin after a trip to Snow Town in Mudanjiang. Famed for farm-based tourism, Snow Town, where snow falls for half a year and gets as deep as 2 meters, attracts tourists from home and abroad every winter.

Jilin, another northeastern province, has emerged as a key winter tour destination.

According to the local tourism authority, Jilin province recorded approximately 84.32 million visits to its attractions during the winter season. This ran from Nov 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. It also reported some 169.81 billion yuan of tourism revenue.

The province has many of the best and the largest ski resorts in China. It includes the famous Lake Songhua Resort, Beidahu Ski Resort and Changbai Mountain Wanda International Resort.

Songhua has ranked among China's top ski resorts since 2017 in terms of visits, according to official statistics. In 2018, the resort welcomed more than 560,000 skiers.

"The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing and Jilin is set to become a hub for people to experience the charm of winter sports," said Bayin Chaolu, Party secretary of Jilin province. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the fourth Jilin Snow Exposition and the 23rd Changchun Ice and Snow Festival on Dec 13. "Thanks to the Olympics, we believe Jilin's ice and snow industry will achieve fast growth and Jilin will be a world-class ice and snow tourism destination."

On Jan 1, Changchun Ice and Snow World, a 1.08 million-square-meter park, opened in the provincial capital of Jilin.

More than 300,000 cu m of ice and snow were used in the park's construction. Inside, tourists can enjoy 130 ice and snow buildings and creations, including a 21 m ice Olympic torch, a 420 m ice slide and a 157 m snow sculpture.

Guinness World Records are expected to certify the ice Olympic torch as the world's highest, and the ice slide and snow sculpture as the world's longest.

"The similar ice and snow-themed park in Harbin has a long history of more than 20 years," said Zhao Guangyuan, a researcher with the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences. "The province has shown its determination to upgrade the ice and snow industry."

"However, it is necessary to create local characteristics in winter tourism products, such as integrating with local folk cultures and unique resources," he added. "Furthermore, it is also important to develop new itineraries and bolster infrastructure."