China's winter economy expected to break record in revenue

During the 2024-2025 winter season, China is expected to see 520 million trips in the ice and snow leisure sector, with tourism revenue anticipated to surpass 630 billion yuan ($85.98 million), according to a report released by the China Tourism Academy released on Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 41st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off on Sunday in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. This is the first international-level ice and snow themed festival in the country.

The total number of visitors received by Harbin, the host of the upcoming 9th Asian Winter Games, increased by 21.3 percent year-on-year, since the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the most popular ice-snow theme-park opened half a month ago. In 2024, Harbin saw 179 million visitors and achieved tourism revenue of 231.42 billion yuan.

Besides a series of traditional snow sports and events, Harbin also provides large-scale new snow entertainment activities such as snowmobiles and snow carnivals, to meet visitors' expectation. AI-generated content and virtual reality products also empower technology in the whole sector.

In addition, the comprehensive services offered are popular amongst visitors. Iced stairs are paved with non-slip carpets in the Central Street in Harbin and police crews diligently carry out their duties under extremely cold weather conditions at night to maintain order.

The new quality productive forces in winter tourism is now growing. A total of 87 major investments in the ice and snow sector were made, raking in a total of 85.72 billion yuan in 2024, according to Han Yuanjun, a researcher of the China Tourism Academy.

During the 2023-2024 ice and snow season, China saw 430 million visitors and recorded revenue of 524.7 billion yuan in the sector, the report said, adding that ice and snow tourism is currently undergoing a positive growth momentum.