Graphics: Booming ice-snow industry boosts winter consumption

Which is the most popular city for tourists in China during the winter time? The answer for this year is Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. It has emerged as a trending city online, drawing a considerable number of tourists.

The International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off on January 5, and closed with record-breaking numbers of 2.71 million visitors on February 15. The ice and snow theme park, covering an area of 810,000 square meters, used a total of 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow to craft sculptures such as castles and towers, which are illuminated by of colorful lights.

During this year's Spring Festival holiday, Harbin received a total of more than 10 million tourists, and achieved a total tourism income of 16.42 billion yuan (about $2.3 billion), both figures representing record highs.

Ice-snow activities have become popular in China. The number of tourists who participated in ice-snow activities from 2022 to 2023 resulted in 312 million passenger trips being taken, and generated revenue reaching 349 billion yuan ($49.9 billion), according to the China Tourism Academy. And the number is forecast to exceed 400 million passenger trips, generating an estimated revenue of 550 billion yuan during the 2023-2024 snow season.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has been a significant driver for the country's winter sports in recent years, with lasting legacies in venues, talents and culture. 

According to forecast by Asian Digital Group, China's winter sports industry is expected to be valued at one trillion yuan (about $140 billion) by 2025. The registered ice-snow related enterprises and venues in China reached over 1,500 and 2,452, respectively, data released by General Administration of Sports of China.

China's Winter sports industry has shown enduring vitality, with the number of people participating in ice-and-snow sports in China exceeding 340 million, the number of ski resorts rising to around 700, and rapid growth has been recorded in indoor skiing facilities operating year-round, according to industry reports.

Read more:

Frost and fire: Understanding China's enduring ice and snow economy