BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- This winter, the ice-snow industry has been all the rage in China, both in northern and southern regions. Different parts of China have taken advantage of their respective features, aiming for high-quality development of ice-snow economy.
Tourists visit the snow-covered Shenyang Imperial Palace in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Long Lei)
-- Resource-driven development
Cities in northern China have always been popular destinations in winter for tourists and winter sports enthusiasts due to their relatively favorable snow conditions and temperatures. These areas are working to translate their natural endowment to consumption scenarios.
Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is a hit for winter tourism in China. In the provincial capital Harbin, ice cubes are being cut into proper size for the making of ice sculptures in the Harbin Ice and Snow World.
We are ready to make the Harbin Ice and Snow World a real winter paradise, integrating arts, culture, performance, architect, activities and sports, all featuring ice and snow, said Sun Zemin, deputy director of sales department of Harbin Ice and Snow World Park Limited by Share Ltd.
Covering more than 810,000 square meters and consuming ice and snow over 250,000 cubic meters, this year's edition of Harbin Ice and Snow World will be the largest ever in history. The number of "super ice slide", a popular ride in the park, will be added from 8 to 14, according to Sun.
In Jixi, another city in the province, the icy scene attracted tourists coming from afar. "I came all the way to see the natural scenery of ice, which can only be seen in ice rinks in Guangzhou. It was all worth it," said a tourist from south China's Guangdong Province.
This year, more events will be held here on the ice of Lake Khanka, such as winter fishing and car rally, which will provide tourists more choices in Jixi, said an official with Khanka Natural Reserve.
Even a year after the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the then competition zone in Chongli District, Zhangjiakou City, is still bustling with winter sports enthusiasts. "This snow season, we added several ski tracks designated for starters and set up seven check-in points for photo shooting, aiming to offer a better experience for more skiers," said Liu Yu, a department director with Wanlong ski resort.
-- Creativity wins
Cities and provinces in southern China, such as Chongqing and Shanghai, also make efforts in the development of ice-snow economy.
In Zhengyang Meadow, located between southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Ankang City of Shaanxi Province, an ice-snow event is in preparation. The event organizer noted that Daba Mountain, with rich ice-snow resources and warm climate, can provide a more comfortable experience for winter sports lovers.
Besides, Chongqing combines local attractions with ice-snow tourism. For example, the city's Nanchuan District rolled out the combination of ski and hot spring, integrating the development of winter sports and local wellness industry. Wulong District of the city plans to hold activities such as hotpot on snow and ice sculpture exhibition.
Shanghai is also building the Yaoxue Ice and Snow World in the Lingang New Area of its free trade zone (FTZ). The complex, which includes indoor ski field, paddling pools, high-end resort hotels and ice-snow-themed business towns, will be opened next year and is expected to receive over 3 million tourists annually.
According to the person in charge of Yaoxue, the complex, with ice-snow sports and leisure at its core, will extend the city's industrial chain of cultural tourism and keep the winter sports enthusiasm brought by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
-- Policy-backed momentum
The diverse development paths chosen by different areas have been determined by their respective natural resources, but also depended on efforts from local governments.
To address the traffic jam during the peak season of winter tourism, Wulong District, Chongqing, made emergency plans and set up a team of thirty to clear route during snowy days. The district will also mobilize shuttle buses to deliver tourists from parking lot to avoid traffic congestion.
Heilongjiang Province recently issued 50 measures to tap the potential of tourism consumption and promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry, striving to build itself into a world-class ice and snow tourism resort and ice and snow economic powerhouse.
In recent years, cities and provinces have taken multiple measures to promote the construction of a new supply pattern of ice and snow tourism, creating a number of more dynamic and fashionable tourism sites and consumption scenarios, according to Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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