Diverse business models boost vitality of snow economy in Xinjiang

High-quality ski resort resources and a variety of ice and snow activities continue to stimulate the vitality of the ice and snow economy in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Recently, the World Freeride Tour (FWT) kicked off at the Jikepulin international ski resort, located in the Hemu Scenic Area of Altay. As one of the world’s top wild snow skiing competitions, the event attracted over 100 participants from around the world.

"The snow resources in Hemu, especially its powder snow, are exceptionally rich and outstanding. The mountain slopes are steep and expansive, with long routes, making skiing here an absolutely exhilarating experience," said He Xianqi, champion of the Women's Snowboard Qualifiers at the World Freeride Tour.

High-quality ski resort resources and a variety of ice and snow activities continue to stimulate the vitality of Xinjiang's ice and snow economy.

"Over the past two years, non-local visitors have accounted for 80 percent of Altay's skiing tourists, with a growing number coming from southern regions. To further attract visitors, we plan to actively host a series of regional, national-level competitions and popular events that appeal to the public, encouraging tourists to spend more time in Altay," said Shi Zhiqiang, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Altai Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd.

Since the start of this snow season, the number of tourists visiting the Altay region has increased by over 80 percent year on year. Upgrades in ski resort infrastructure, transportation, and accommodation services have boosted consumer confidence.

Data shows that during the last snow season (late 2023 to early 2024), the number of ice and snow tourism trips in China increased by 38 percent year on year. Total spending on ice and snow tourism grew by 132.5 percent compared to the 2019-2020 snow season.

Diverse business models boost vitality of snow economy in Xinjiang

The Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport -- a pivotal airport in central China's Henan Province -- saw its cargo throughput surge to 800,000 tons in 2024, a record high since the airport was opened in 1997 following reconstruction on the basis of the Zhengzhou Dongjiao Airport.

Leveraging the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" project, Zhengzhou is actively building itself into an international aviation hub. Currently, the Xinzheng International Airport has made great improvements in network coverage, service guarantee, and transfer efficiency.

Presently, 29 cargo airlines are operated in Zhengzhou, running a total of 57 cargo routes. Those air routes have formed a hub network across the three major economies of Europe, America and Asia, covering major economies in the world. As of Dec 20, the cargo volume of Luxembourg cargo flights handled in Zhengzhou this year reached 136,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 38.8 percent.

"We will keep enhancing our hard power of cargo guarantee and our soft power of operation service, and will continue to strengthen cooperation with freight forwarders, cross-border e-commerce platforms and other enterprises. We will also improve the efficiency of cargo collection and distribution through air-to-air transfer and combined transport of air and high-speed railway," said Zhang Mingchao, Party secretary of Zhongyu Aviation Group, an airline in Zhengzhou.

Pivotal airport in central China sees cargo throughput surge to record high