Chilly northeast a hot destination

Tourists visit Harbin Ice and Snow World in the capital of Heilongjiang province. [Photo/IC]

Neighboring Jilin province is gaining, too.

The China (Jilin) International Snow and Ice Tourism Industry Expo has become a prime showcase for Jilin's winter tourism sector and an ideal stage for cooperation, Chen Shoujun, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, told a news conference on Nov 20.

The expo, now in its third season, is being held in Changchun, the provincial capital. It started on Dec 23, in conjunction with the 22nd Changchun Ice and Snow Festival, and will run to March.

"More than 146 million tourists visited the festival last year, resulting in tourism revenue of 15.97 billion yuan," Chen said. "Tourism has become a pillar industry in Jilin and is of great significance to power the transformation and upgrading of the old industrial base of the province."

Jilin has some of the country's most beautiful winter scenery and the kind of light powder snow that skiers love most.

In addition to skiing, Jilin is also famous for its hot springs and a spectacular natural winter phenomenon known as rime-an opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles, caused by rapid freezing.

As the most important part of the Changchun Ice and Snow Festival, the 16th Jingyuetan Vasaloppet International Skiing Festival attracted more than 1,500 professional skiers from home and abroad to Changchun Jingyuetan National Forest Park in January last year to join in a series of competitions.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of amateur participants and tourists visited the site to enjoy the competitions and the park's unique ice and snow landscapes.

The Jilin International Rime Ice and Snow Festival, the Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival and the Changchun Snow and Ice Tourism Festival are also among the top-ranking winter tourism events in China.

"It is obvious that winter tourism in China has formed a new consumption hot spot," said Zhou Lin, a travel researcher with the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

"However, it is necessary to promote innovation in winter tourism products to suit various tourist groups, such as developing new itineraries, integrating with folk culture and bolstering infrastructure."