Ski resorts are converting their resources into a niche market,
drawing millions of visitors during the winter months.
The "ice and snow economy" is gaining momentum in the northern
provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
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Heilongjiang was the first province in the country to see the
potential of developing its resources as a major winter tourist
attraction.
Its winter lasts for about four months with heavy snowfalls
throughout the period.
It has more than 70 ski resorts and 150 ski slopes, accounting
for more than 60 percent of the country's winter resort
facilities.
Heilongjiang tourism department statistics show the province
received more than 3.2 million visitors during last year's spring
festival, gaining income of more than 2 billion yuan (US$250
million).
Tourism today is one of the key drivers of the province's
economic growth.
Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, is famous for its annul ice and
snow extravaganzas.
The city's ice lantern shows, and ice and snow sculpture
competitions are becoming world famous, attracting local and
foreign visitors every year.
"We received more visitors from the United States, Russia,
Germany, and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong last
year," said Bo Xiru, director of the tourism bureau.
"The province is playing a leading role in winter tourism in the
country."
The sector has spurred the economic growth of other related
industries in the province.
Harbin's hotel occupancy rate was more than 80 percent last
year, the Heilongjiang Daily reported.
In cooperation with the city of Montreal, Canada, last year's
snow sculpture exhibition in Harbin added a new dimension.
Two sculptures, "Crossing the Bering Strait" and "Niagara
Falls," both reported to be 250 meters long and 28 meters high and
involving more than 13,000 cubic meters of snow, will be entered in
the Guinness World Record.
Jilin Province too is attracting its fair of tourists with its
various winter sports.
And this year, Changchun, its capital, introduced an
international ski competition Vasaloppet China, from Sweden. The
event was held yesterday at the Jingyuetan Ski Resort.
Liaoning Province, with its geographic advantages, is promoting
itself as the first stop in northeast China for enthusiasts of ice
and snow sports.
The province spent millions of yuan in 2005 to build the
Northeast Asia Ski Resort in the Shenyang National Forest Park.
Xinjiang recently kicked off its Silk Road Ice and Snow
Festival, in a bid to grab a piece of the winter sports pie.
The industry is also providing other related work for its
people. Once heavily reliant on stock breeding, some have now moved
into the catering business.
There are now almost 30 ski resorts surrounding Urumqi, the
capital, which can accommodate about 20,000 people a day.
Winter tourism earned Xinjiang 4.6 billion yuan (US$575 million)
in 2005.
The warmer winters in Beijing are losing its appeal to the other
resorts. Beginners find Beijing's short, flat slopes no longer
thrilling.
By heading north to Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces,
you can experience a totally different environment.
(China Daily January 3, 2007)
