China is expected to see booming ice and snow tourism as the country braces for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. It is according to the report released by the China Tourism Academy, in the 2021-2022 winter season, China is expected to have 340 million ice and snow tourists with tourism revenue of 680 billion yuan (97.6 billion U.S. dollars).
In the 2018-2019 winter season, ice and snow tourists in China totalled 224 million, with tourism revenue of 386 billion yuan, up 13.7 percent and 17.1 percent from the 2017-2018 winter season, respectively, the agency said at a forum held in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Sunday. The “ice city” Harbin on Sunday kicked off its 36th international ice and snow festival, with more than 100 activities scheduled for the coming three to four months.
The annual ice and snow festival has become a name card of Harbin and a major contributor to its booming winter tourism.
Tourism in China has developed rapidly for the last few decades, since the open policy had been implemented in 1978. The glorious ancient architectures, the splendid landscapes, the hospitable Chinese people, all of these make the tourism industry prosper in the past few decades.
The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of the world’s most-watched and hottest outbound tourist markets. There are 1349 international travel agencies existing in China, and 248 of them are in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing-the four municipalities. Domestic and international transportation also has great improvement that it is easier for tourists to travel to China.
Tags: China, Harbin, Harbin tourism, Winter Tourism
