The ice and snow tourism sector has continued to gain popularity in northeast China so far in the current winter season.
Harbin City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is home to the world's largest snow theme park, the Ice and Snow World, which has become one of the most iconic winter attractions in the country.
The theme park skyrocketed in popularity on Chinese social media last winter, capturing the country's growing passion for winter sports and tourism. It received over 2.7 million visits last year.
Since this year's edition officially opened on Dec 21, the park has been bustling with tourists marveling at the surreal wintry wonders amid the crisp, biting wind.
Harbin has also built impressive giant snowmen at various tourist attractions across the city, greeting visitors from both home and abroad with their distinctive appearances.
Harbin's last snow season saw more than 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, generating 124.8 billion yuan (about 17.4 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, a staggering 500 percent growth.
Another popular winter destination this year is Chongli in north China's Hebei Province neighboring Beijing.
Chongli was one of the primary venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics and is known for its rich skiing resources. It is home to nine major ski resorts, offering a total of over 160 kilometers of ski trail.
China is actively encouraging the development of the ice and snow economy.
Last year, the country recorded over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year, with related revenue rising by 50 percent. The number of visits is projected to exceed 500 million this year.
In 2023, China boasted over 2,800 ice and snow sports venues, including 935 ski resorts and over 1,900 ice rinks. This marks an increase of over 16 percent in facilities compared to 2022.
The significant growth in China's winter tourism is partly driven by affordable airfares.
Data from Chinese travel booking platforms shows that bookings for flights to popular ice and snow destinations in the northeast, including Harbin, and Changchun and the Changbai Mountains in neighboring Jilin Province, have risen by 20 percent year on year since December.
In response to this increased demand, Chinese airlines are expanding capacity and introducing special winter-themed routes.
Ice-snow economy continues to gain momentum in northeast China
Governments at all levels across China are promoting consumer goods trade-ins and industrial equipment upgrade with preferential policies and subsidies, bringing about significant growth in home appliance sales and equipment production. So far this year, the trade-in policies have brought a total sale of one trillion yuan (about 137 billion U.S. dollars) nationwide, and boosted production of trade-in-related goods like new energy vehicles (NEVs) and home-use freezers.
In Shanghai, in addition to the eight categories of nationwide subsidized products, like refrigerators, television sets, and computers, the local government introduced extra subsidies for additional home appliances, as well as interior materials, furniture, elderly-friendly products, and more to meet local needs.
According to statistics, Shanghai's trade-ins of home appliances have exceeded 6.4 million times, boosting trade of the eight categories by 30 to 40 percent compared to last year's statistics, and the total sales of home appliances on all platforms exceeded 10 billion yuan (about 1.37 billion U.S. dollars).
In central China's Hubei Province, the local government is providing subsidies unlimited times for passenger vehicles trade-ins, expanding subsidized kitchen and bathroom appliances, and involving interior goods and materials to the list, benefiting consumers in over 4.5 million transactions and bringing a total sale of 50 billion yuan (about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars).
In the first three quarters, industrial equipment upgrade policies have stimulated investments in equipment and tools, featuring a 16.4 percent year-on-year increase, with food manufacturing, agricultural products processing, and metal smelting equipment production increasing by 38.1 percent, 34.6 percent, and 13.2 percent, respectively.
In addition to consumer goods, governments at all levels have been actively offering allowances and providing guidance for companies to upgrade appliances and technologies to facilitate domestic consumption "We have applied for nearly 50 million yuan (about 6.8 million U.S. dollars) funding for equipment upgrades. With active advertising and mobilization, we encouraged local advantageous companies in machinery and medicine and health to apply, and provide guidance for them on company digitalization and technology upgrade," said Yu Biao, deputy director of the Development and Reform Bureau of Xinchang County in Shaoxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province.
Companies are also benefiting from the policy, and many are pursuing expansion with government allowances.
"We have benefited from the 'one-time pre-tax deduction policy for equipment and tools under 5 million yuan (about 680,000 U.S. dollars)' and reinvested additional funds for the Phase II expansion. As a result, the annual processing capacity has increased from 80,000 tonnes to 130,000 tonnes," said Tang Kaibo, general manager of Liaoning Lvyuan Renewable Energy Development Co., Ltd.
Local governments promote trade-ins, equipment upgrade with policies, subsidies
