China's ice city greets over 90 million visitors in 2024-2025 winter season

The craze for winter sports has fueled tourism in China's ice city of Harbin, with the number of tourist arrivals growing 9.7 percent year on year to over 90 million during the 2024-2025 winter season.

As one of China's top winter tourism destinations, Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, saw its tourism sector rake in 137.22 billion yuan (about $19 billion) from Nov 8, 2024, to Feb 28, 2025, up 16.6 percent year on year, according to Harbin's culture and tourism bureau.

The number of international visitors to Harbin, in particular, surged 94.2 percent compared to the last winter season, driven by an influx of tourists from Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN countries, the bureau said.

Harbin has ignited a fervor for ice and snow tourism on Chinese social media this winter, since the opening of the 41st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival on Jan 5.

Attractions such as Harbin Ice-Snow World, the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, Central Avenue, St. Sophia Cathedral and the Siberian Tiger Park, alongside the festival, were among the most popular tourist destinations. Notably, Harbin Ice-Snow World welcomed a record-breaking 3.56 million visitors during its 68 days of operations.

The ninth Asian Winter Games and a series of test events held in Harbin also contributed to the tourism surge. The city has built more than 500 ice-and-snow sports venues, and 15 local ski resorts have upgraded their facilities, entertaining spectators and athletes from around the world.

Cultural venues such as the Harbin Museum and the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army also experienced increased visitor traffic.

China has unveiled an ambitious plan to develop its ice and snow economy as a new economic driver, targeting a total market size of 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to a guideline released by the State Council in 2024.

Leveraging the opportunity, Harbin is implementing a slew of market regulation and tourist guidance measures to continue optimizing its tourism experience, unleashing greater economic momentum for its ice and snow resources.