AsiaNet 87436

CHANGCHUN, China, Dec. 30, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

With the goal of building a world-class ice and snow tourism destination, Jilin

Province in northeast China aims to build a high-quality snow and ice tourism

industry, promote the integrated development of snow and ice related

industries, build a strong snow and ice economy, and realize the transition

from ice and snow industry to economy, turning the "cold resource" of ice and

snow into a "hot industry", according to Jilin Provincial Department of Culture

and Tourism.

Taking advantage of the opportunities brought by the Beijing 2022 Winter

Olympics, Jilin has actively promoted the brand building of "Winter Olympics in

Beijing, Experience in Jilin", further promoted the popularization of ice and

snow sports, and strengthened the influence of a series of ice and snow

activities such as Vasaloppet China International Skiing Festival, national

winter swimming invitational tournament, Songhua River International Winter

Dragon Boat Race, Chagan Lake winter fishing festival, etc. The province has

launched nearly 300 snow and ice related culture, tourism, sports, trade,

education and other events.

Jilin has comprehensively promoted the development and upgrading of ice and

snow sports, equipment manufacturing, ice and snow tourism services and other

industries, creating "smart ice and snow" and promoting the diversified

dissemination of ice and snow elements in Jilin. As the only snow themed expo

in China, Jilin International Snow and Ice Industry Expo has been held for five

times, with an accumulated more than 1,500 participating brands, 466,000

visitors and a total on-site turnover of 852 million yuan.

In the new snow season, Jilin has planned 32 ice and snow tourism boutique

routes, and launched 28 preferential policies such as issuing ice and snow

consumption vouchers, which has driven the hotel occupancy rate around the ice

and snow scenic spots to more than 85%, the passenger flow of surrounding

shopping malls up by 12%, and turnover up by 9.5%.

Jilin Province, located between 41 and 46 degrees north latitude, is one of the

"world's three powder snow bases", concentrating all the natural advantages of

powder snow, frozen lake, rime and hot spring in developing snow and ice

economy. After several years of efforts, the province has developed a new

development path based on ice and snow tourism, sports and culture, and formed

a "3+X" full industrial chain supported by ice and snow equipment

manufacturing, trade, transportation, intelligence, talents, etc.

In the meantime, Jilin has actively promoted the construction of the "Ice and

Snow Silk Road", with Jilin as the core, based in northeast China and facing

Northeast Asia, and has strengthened cooperation and exchanges with the ice and

snow countries along the Belt and Road, with a view to building the northeast

region of China into a highland of China's ice and snow economy and building a

world ice and snow economy comparable to Europe and North America.

Jilin's total snow trails cover an area of 1,050 hectares, accounting for about

20% of the country's total, ranking first in China. Its resorts have the best

natural conditions and competitive quality in Asia. It also boasts the world's

fourth, Asia's first all-weather standardized ski training course. During the

2018-2019 snow season, the province received 84.3 million tourists and an

revenue to 169.8 billion yuan (26.2 billion U.S. dollars) in ice and snow

tourism, up 62% and 86% respectively from five years ago, winning the market

recognition of "Jilin leading the development of China's ice and snow industry".

SOURCE: Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism