When Snow Turns into Gold: China’s Ice and Snow Tourism Enters a New Growth Cycle

As visitors race down the 521-meter super ice slide and capture photos among towering ice sculptures at Harbin Ice-Snow World, they are taking part in more than a seasonal attraction. These winter experiences are driving rapid growth in China’s ice and snow economy, which has reached record levels across tourism, sports, and related industries.

According to a report released this week by the China Tourism Academy, China’s ice and snow tourism sector is entering what it describes as “a new stage of sustained prosperity.” By the end of 2025, more than 14,000 enterprises were operating in the sector, marking an 11 percent year-on-year increase.

The total scale of China’s ice and snow economy surpassed 1 trillion yuan (approximately USD 143 billion) in 2025—nearly four times its size a decade earlier. This growth was highlighted at the Ice and Snow Tourism Development Forum 2026, held in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.

The report attributes this expansion to a wave of innovative tourism offerings nationwide, including ice sculpture exhibitions, themed winter travel, and ice-and-snow photography experiences. Flagship destinations such as Harbin Ice-Snow World and the Changbai Mountain ski resort have played a central role in attracting both domestic and international visitors.

Researchers note that northern cities including Harbin, Shenyang, Changchun, and Zhangjiakou—each endowed with distinctive winter resources—are shifting their tourism strategies toward longer visitor retention through improved services and visitor-focused amenities.

Heilongjiang Province, historically known as an aging industrial base, has turned its prolonged winters into an economic advantage. Local initiatives—from offering samples of frozen pears to installing heated handrails along pedestrian streets—have gained widespread attention on social media, translating into increased tourist arrivals and higher tourism revenue.

Major sporting events have also accelerated infrastructure upgrades. In preparation for the Asian Winter Games, Harbin expanded its airport and road networks, modernized sports venues with digital systems, and introduced automated snowmaking at key winter resorts. Measures aimed at international travelers—including new direct flights, streamlined visa services, and improved payment options for foreign bank cards—helped inbound bookings to the city surge by 157 percent.

Beyond tourism, Heilongjiang is pursuing broader development of the ice and snow economy. The province has launched China’s first monitoring system covering four related sectors: tourism, sports, culture, and equipment manufacturing, providing data support for more targeted policy planning.

During the 2024–2025 winter season, Heilongjiang recorded 135 million tourist visits and generated 211.7 billion yuan in tourism revenue, representing year-on-year increases of 18.5 percent and 30.7 percent respectively.

International observers have taken note. At a world mayoral dialogue held in Harbin in early January, visiting city leaders praised the region’s ability to transform extreme cold into long-term economic opportunity. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack described Harbin’s ice and snow industry as a sustainable model worth learning from, calling his visit “one of the most spectacular experiences” he had encountered.

China’s broader winter economy received a major boost from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which sparked nationwide interest in winter sports and related consumption. Ice and snow tourism, once concentrated primarily in the far northeast, has since expanded across the country. Regions including Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Xinjiang, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have emerged as popular winter destinations.

Meanwhile, central and southern China—despite milder climates—are investing heavily in indoor ice and snow attractions. In 2025 alone, nearly 54 billion yuan was committed to such projects, many of which operate year-round. These investments have resulted in nine of the world’s ten largest indoor snow parks being located in China.

Driven by rising participation, China has also formed a complete industry chain spanning culture, sports, and equipment manufacturing. Growing demand for winter sports gear has prompted a rapid response from manufacturers in southern China, with ski equipment from Yiwu and goggles from Ningbo now supplying markets nationwide.

Together, these developments underscore how China’s ice and snow economy has evolved from seasonal tourism into a diversified, large-scale industry—transforming winter landscapes into engines of long-term growth.

 

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Snow becomes gold as tourists embrace the cold in china