Winter chill turned into hot economic driver

Heilongjiang is capitalizing on the immense opportunities presented by its ice and snow economy, promoting high-quality development in the cultural tourism sector and expanding integrated business models that combine culture, tourism, sports, and commerce, said deputies to the National People's Congress.

The northeastern province is actively developing event-driven economic activities, the ice and snow industry, and outdoor sports, striving to transform its rich winter resources into a new engine for high-quality economic growth, representatives said during a group deliberation on Saturday.

Heilongjiang has consistently prioritized the development of its winter tourism economy as a key driver of comprehensive revitalization, Xu Qin, a deputy to the 14th NPC, who is the secretary of the CPC Committee of Heilongjiang Province, said.

Over the past three consecutive years, winter tourism has experienced strong growth and sustained momentum, injecting fresh vitality into Northeast China's revitalization while fueling a nationwide boom in winter travel and promoting the broader development of the tourism industry, he said.

Harbin Ice and Snow World welcomed over 120,000 visitors in a single day. In 2025, the province's total tourist arrivals and tourist spending increased by 10.3 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively, according to official data.

Over the next five years, Heilongjiang will embrace the development philosophy that "ice and snow are also valuable assets". Building on its resource endowments and industrial foundations, the province will cultivate new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, Xu said.

Harbin Mayor Wang Hesheng, who is also a deputy to the 14th NPC, said that ice and snow culture and economy are becoming new drivers of high-quality development and new platforms for opening-up in Harbin and the whole province.

In the Implementation Plan for Stimulating the Vitality of the Ice and Snow Economy through High Quality Development of Ice and Snow Sports issued in 2024, Heilongjiang has set a target for the total output value of its ice and snow industry to exceed 450 billion yuan ($65.2 billion) by 2030, he said.

Wang noted that in 2025, the province's total output from the ice and snow economy grew by 13.2 percent year-on-year.

Heilongjiang is actively leveraging its ice and snow industry to drive growth in tourism, winter sports equipment manufacturing, food and hospitality, transportation, and other related sectors, fostering coordinated development and shared prosperity across industries, he said.

Moreover, the province is leveraging existing visa-free policies, including transit visa exemptions, and introducing measures to facilitate inbound tourism. By improving services at ports of entry, the province aims to attract more international visitors during the Ice and Snow Festival and promote people-to-people exchanges, Wang added.

Ren Ziwei, a deputy to the 14th NPC and a gold medalist in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, said that the rising popularity of winter sports has attracted more participants, creating favorable conditions for the further development of China's winter sports industry.

The province is actively encouraging widespread participation in winter sports. Following the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin in 2025, the "post-Asian Winter Games" effect continues to boost national enthusiasm for winter sports, sharply increasing demand for related activities and tourism and opening up new opportunities for the winter sports equipment industry, he said.

"Currently, winter sports are boosting the growth of industries such as tourism, vacation resorts, and snow equipment manufacturing in Heilongjiang, becoming a new driver of the province's economic development," Ren said.

Building on its strengths in ice and snow resources, talent, and research, Heilongjiang will seek to stimulate public participation in winter sports, expand the ice and snow consumption market, and drive high-quality economic development, said the Olympic champion.

Zhou Huiying and Tian Xuefei in Harbin, Heilongjiang province contributed to this story.