Harbin Ice and Snow World becomes top winter travel destination

The 27th Harbin Ice and Snow World officially opened on Wednesday in Harbin, capital of China’s Heilongjiang Province. As a world-class ice and snow tourism destination, it quickly sparked winter travel enthusiasm across China.

According to data from Tongcheng Travel platform, after the announcement of the opening of the Harbin Ice and Snow World on December 15, search popularity for related keywords surged fivefold compared with the same time the previous day. Since December, search interest has continued to rise, placing Harbin at the top of the platform’s list of popular winter destinations.

And the opening of Harbin Ice and Snow World is just one snapshot. The enthusiasm for ice and snow sports can be traced back to the lasting influence of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The event delivered the landmark achievement of engaging 300 million people in ice and snow activities, according to data released by the State Council of China. Since then, ice and snow sports have moved beyond professional arenas, becoming part of everyday life for a much wider public.

This year, widespread snowfall has set the stage for winter events across the country. Xinjiang has hosted a stop on the World Freeride Tour this winter, Inner Mongolia has launched a public skiing invitational, and Ningxia has rolled out a series of winter tourism and consumption-boosting activities.

Indoor ski and skating facilities are breaking down the traditional barriers of geography and climate. Even in southern regions with little natural snow, people can now participate in winter sports, enabling these activities to thrive year-round and nationwide.

A public Alpine Skiing Open recently took place in Jiangsu Province. Although held indoors, the competition brought together 17 teams and more than 500 athletes, showing the strong appeal and vitality of ice and snow sports in southern China.