Students in Xinjiang's prestigious ski destination to embrace 1st 'snow break'

URUMQI -- Over 70,000 primary and secondary school students from the Altay prefecture, a prestigious ski destination in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will embrace their first official "snow break," amid the country's efforts to boost its ice-and-snow economy, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The students will enjoy a total of nine days off as the extended break encompasses five days of official holiday from Dec 1 to 5 and the adjacent weekends.

During the snow holiday, primary and secondary school students from the prefecture will have free access to multiple local ski resorts as well as free public transit within Altay city, a city administered by Altay prefecture, using their identity certificates.

Local cultural venues, libraries and museums will launch a flurry of ice and snow-themed cultural events.

The snow holiday will leverage the region's unique ice and snow resources, allowing primary and secondary school students to "connect with nature, inherit culture and strengthen their physical health," according to the official circular.

The Altay cultural and tourism departments are partnering with various ski resorts, cultural venues and hotels to provide discounts on skiing, food, accommodations, transportation and cultural activities during the break, according to the circular.

Altay's rich historical legacy and favorable skiing conditions, coupled with China's rapid growth in winter sports following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, have accelerated the development of the region's snow-and-ice economy.

In the 2023-2024 snow season, Altay welcomed about 4.89 million tourist visits, with tourism revenue totaling 5.1 billion yuan (about $719.8 million). It drove about half of the growth in both visits and revenue of Xinjiang's total.

Altay now plays a significant role in China's plans to boost its ice-and-snow economy as a new growth sector. The country targets an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council in November 2024.