Ice-and-snow fever grows in southern China

Southern China is going through “ice and snow fever” as people there have taken to participating in a diverse range of winter sports and related recreational activities in the region, and making trips to take part in other ice and snow activities in northern China.

People enjoy skating at an ice rink in a shopping mall in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality. (Xinhua/Zhou Wenchong)

In Chongqing municipality, the order volume for ice and snow tourism-related products jumped by more than 30 percent from a year ago during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday this year, data from the municipal commission of culture and tourism development showed.

Statistics from Hubei Province’s department of culture and tourism revealed that popular ice and snow tourism destinations like Jiugong Mountain Scenic Area in Xianning city and Bailihuang Ski Resort in Yichang city received over 30,000 visitors during the holiday, respectively, up about 60 percent year on year.

A report issued by the China Tourism Academy (CTA) indicated that Hubei Province led the country in tourism recovery during the festival, partly due to the popularity of the Shennongjia Forestry District, a popular skiing destination, and other ice and snow tourism destinations in the province.

A woman skies outside a shopping mall in Shanghai. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Cities in southern China such as Guangzhou became popular ice and snow destinations during the holiday, according to Mafengwo, a travel service and social networking platform.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people tend to take part in winter sports and related recreational activities in places close to their homes, especially for those in southern China, industry insiders said.

In a shopping mall in Shanghai, a skating rink received over 1,000 customers per day around the Spring Festival holiday amid strict pandemic prevention measures, up 36 percent year on year. In addition, the sales volume of the rink during the holiday soared 40 percent from the same period last year, according to the rink’s executive.

By integrating science, art, sports, and tourism, Shanghai and Chongqing, as well as provinces including Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangdong and Yunnan have offered a range of ice and snow activities for people, said Dai Bin, head of the CTA. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently launched 10 winter routes, which cover southern provinces, including Hubei and Sichuan.

To further promote the development of ice and snow tourism in southern China, Dai suggested expanding the industry and encouraging public participation in winter sports and tourism.