Snow and ice tourism has become an important part of the good life for urban and rural residents. In the long river of history, long winters and icy and snowy conditions were not conducive to people's production and life, hence the saying "Mao Dong" (staying indoors during winter). There are not only intangible cultural heritages such as "winter fishing," "ice fishing," "ice sculptures," "water turning to ice," and "sliding," and poetic imagery like "New brew of green ants, small red clay stove. Evening comes, snow is about to fall, can you drink a cup?" but also various cold memories brought about by material scarcity. With economic and social development and the expansion of international vision, we have seen sports such as alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, short track speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey, curling, bobsleigh, and sledding, as well as appealing leisure activities such as hot spring resorts, snow and ice parks, and polar sightseeing. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics further introduced more people to snow and ice sports and fostered a love for them. Since the new era, we have not only achieved the established goal of "300 million people participating in snow and ice sports," but also formed a snow and ice tourism market of 500 million visits and 600 billion yuan. According to the latest survey by the Snow and Ice Tourism Research Group of the China Tourism Academy: 71.2% of respondents hope to experience snow and ice leisure tourism activities in the 2024-2025 snow and ice season, 53.4% of tourists will increase the frequency of snow and ice leisure tourism, 45.5% of tourists hope to engage in long-distance snow and ice tourism, and 64.2% of tourists will increase or maintain their spending levels from previous years in this snow and ice season, all setting historical highs. Whether it is "tourists from the south going north, and tourists from the east going west," or nearby outings and local leisure, the market scale of snow and ice tourism and snow and ice leisure has been formed, and at the same time, the consumption capacity is continuously improving, and the consumption structure is continuously optimized, thus laying the market foundation for the snow and ice economy.

Snow and ice tourism has broken the old spatial distribution of resources where "snow and ice do not cross the Shanhai Pass," forming a new development pattern of "southward expansion, westward expansion, and eastward advance." Traditionally, snow and ice tourism mainly revolves around sightseeing experiences based on natural resources, with destinations mainly concentrated in Northeast China. Harbin Ice and Snow World, Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo, Mohe North Pole Village, Changchun Ice and Snow New World, Jilin rime, Hulunbuir Ice and Snow Naadam, and ski resorts such as Yabuli, Changbai Mountain, Beidahu, and Qipanshan are all popular snow and ice tourism destinations for tourists. Contemporary snow and ice tourism not only involves sightseeing experiences but also participation in sports and experiencing the good life of the destination. The coupling of social investment, technological progress, product development, and snow and ice consumption has effectively expanded the spatial layout of snow and ice tourism projects. In terms of spatial pattern, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia in the northwest, which are at high latitudes, along with Beijing, Hebei, and Shanxi in North China, together with Northeast China, constitute the basic pattern of the "three northern arc" of snow and ice tourism from east to west. Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan in Southwest China, combining local natural and cultural resources, are accelerating the layout of characteristic snow and ice tourism projects, while Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Fujian in East and South China are utilizing their proximity to the source market and leveraging the strength of investment institutions and market entities to focus on the layout of snow and ice theme parks, thus forming a spatial layout of the snow and ice economy from north to south in a "three-line concurrent" manner.

Snow and ice tourism has driven "cold resources" to become a "hot economy," becoming a key area for expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption. Tourist visits are a prerequisite for building tourism destinations, while consumption is the key to unlocking tourism economy. As a final consumption and comprehensive consumption tourism activity, it directly drives the prosperity of the snow and ice economy and promotes the extension of the snow and ice industry chain and the development of the destination's economy and society. Surveys have found that China has formed a product system of 15 major categories of snow and ice equipment and materials, covering the entire industrial chain from competitive sports to tourism and leisure projects, including venue construction, snowmaking and ice-making equipment, supporting equipment, and the research, development, manufacturing, and maintenance of personal equipment. Sales revenue of snow and ice equipment has increased from less than 5 billion yuan in 2015 to 22 billion yuan in 2023. According to incomplete statistics, the cumulative investment in heavy-asset projects in China's snow and ice tourism sector from 2018 to 2024 has reached 1.3157 trillion yuan. Cities such as Zhangjiakou, Harbin, Qiqihar, Changchun, and Songyuan have built and put into operation large-scale snow and ice equipment industrial parks, cultivating innovative snow and ice tourism equipment and material manufacturers, as well as national trendy brands such as Hongwei, Heilongjiang, Anta, and Tianxingjian. Traditional and modern, classic and fashionable snow and ice cultures shine together, with fur board skiing, ice sports, ice lanterns, ice sculptures, ice sleds, rolling ice lanterns, and winter fishing regaining vitality, while snow sculpture art, alpine skiing, snow and ice health preservation, snow country trains, and snow and ice concerts inject new connotations into contemporary snow and ice culture and create new scenarios for snow and ice tourism.

Snow and ice tourism has become an important force in reshaping the global tourism industry and the development pattern of the snow and ice economy. Once the snow and ice awareness of 1.4 billion people is awakened, it will drive the growth of the global snow and ice market from quantitative change to qualitative change on the demand side, thereby promoting revolutionary changes in snow and ice tourism. More Chinese tourists will appear in ski resorts, snow and ice parks, and hot spring resorts around the world, and more Chinese snow and ice investment institutions and market operators will also go global, while attracting tourists from all over the world to come to China and Harbin to enjoy a different snow and ice experience. In this process, China's snow and ice tourism destinations, snow and ice tourism investment institutions, developers, operators, and distributors will inevitably participate deeply in global market competition, making Chinese contributions to the prosperity of the world's snow and ice economy and tourism industry.

Theoretical Guidance and Practical Innovation

Implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on snow and ice sports, the goal of "300 million people participating in snow and ice sports" was achieved ahead of schedule. Professional athletes, snow and ice sports enthusiasts, and snow and ice tourists together constitute the market foundation of the snow and ice economy, among which snow and ice sports are the main engine of the snow and ice economy, and the Winter Olympics, Asian Winter Games, and international snow and ice events are the best window periods for cultivating a mass base and consumer market. In February 2014, when General Secretary Xi Jinping talked with IOC President Bach, he said: "In China, snow and ice sports do not cross the Shanhai Pass. If snow and ice projects can be promoted within the pass, it is estimated that it can involve two to three hundred million people, thereby igniting the torch of China's snow and ice sports." On the eve of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the General Administration of Sport of China released the "Statistical Survey Report on "Involving 300 Million People in Snow and Ice Sports." Since Beijing successfully bid for the Winter Olympics in 2015, the number of people nationwide who have participated in snow and ice sports has reached 346 million.

In line with General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on ice and snow tourism, we will continue to expand the market scale of ice and snow tourism, ice and snow leisure, and ice and snow culture. The development of any undertaking depends on the support of the masses, as well as social participation and market mechanisms. During the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and Heilongjiang's ice and snow are also invaluable assets. Developing ice and snow tourism projects, cultivating ice and snow tourism routes, and expanding ice and snow leisure consumption are all viable paths to transform ice and snow into invaluable assets. In the 2016-2017 ice and snow season, the country received 170 million ice and snow tourists, generating 270 billion yuan in revenue. In the 2021-2022 ice and snow season, the market size reached 344 million tourists and 474 billion yuan, and in the 2023-2024 ice and snow season, it reached 430 million tourists and 524.7 billion yuan. The 2024-2025 ice and snow season is expected to exceed 500 million tourists and 600 billion yuan. Two months ago, the General Office of the State Council issued "Several Opinions on Stimulating the Vitality of the Ice and Snow Economy through High-Quality Development of Ice and Snow Sports" (Guobanfa [2024] No. 49), focusing on promoting the development of the entire ice and snow industry chain, including ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment, and ice and snow tourism. The total scale of the ice and snow economy is expected to reach 1.2 trillion yuan in 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan in 2030. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism supports the construction of 3-5 globally renowned high-quality ice and snow tourism destinations, and jointly launched the 2024 "Winter Scenery" National Winter Tourism Promotion and the National "Happy Ice and Snow Tourism Season" activities with local culture and tourism departments and 26 national-level ski tourism resorts, and released the top ten national ice and snow tourism routes. Benefiting from market growth and favorable policies, entrepreneurs have gained investment confidence, and local governments have gained development momentum, forming ice and snow tourism destinations represented by cities such as Harbin, Mudanjiang, Yichun, Changchun, Jilin, Shenyang, Zhangjiakou, Hulunbuir, Altay, and Beijing Yanqing. They are the beneficiaries of the ice and snow tourism era and the innovators of ice and snow tourism.

In line with General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on the ice and snow economy, we will continue to extend the ice and snow economic industry chain and continuously expand the ice and snow tourism ecosystem. In 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on comprehensively advancing the revitalization of Northeast China, requiring the full utilization of the unique resources and advantages of the Northeast region to accelerate the development of the cold-region ice and snow economy. In 2023, during his inspection tour of Heilongjiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the development of the ice and snow economy should be regarded as a new growth point, promoting the development of the entire ice and snow industry chain, including ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment, and ice and snow tourism. The Central Leading Group Office for Regional Coordination Development issued the "Implementation Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of the Ice and Snow Economy in Northeast China to Help Achieve New Breakthroughs in Comprehensive Revitalization" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plan"), based on the endowment of ice and snow resources in Northeast China, focusing on the development of the entire ice and snow industry chain, including ice and snow tourism, ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture, and ice and snow equipment, and clarifying the ideas, goals, key tasks, and policy measures for promoting high-quality development of the ice and snow economy in Northeast China. Cultural guidance, technological empowerment, and integrated innovation are leading the high-quality development of ice and snow tourism. Tourism groups such as Sunac, Fosun, Chimelong, Yinji, Haichang, and Madiel have launched popular ice and snow tourism and leisure projects such as the "Daylight Ark," "Hot Snow Miracle," "Le Man Ice and Snow Kingdom," "Magic Snow Fairy Tale," ice and snow hotels, and polar museums. It is worth noting that the widespread application of digital technology, intelligent equipment, new materials, drones, big data, and artificial intelligence in ice and snow scenarios brings better ice and snow experiences to tourists. Government-business cooperation has created more and more new ice and snow scenarios and tourism formats, such as Harbin's "Ice World, Snow World," "Harbin X Bosideng," Urumqi's Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival, Altay's "Origin of Human Skiing," and Zhejiang's one-stop ski service on the cloud grassland, etc.

Quality Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement; Integrated Development

First, plan and implement an ice and snow tourism doubling plan. Guided by promoting consumption, expanding domestic demand, stabilizing expectations, and boosting confidence, implement a batch of, reserve a batch of, and pre-research a batch of ice and snow economic promotion policies for the next five years, and make every effort to expand the market base of the ice and snow economy. Develop national leisure, implement inclusive tourism, ensure stable growth in the scale of the ice and snow tourism market, achieve the participation of half of the national population, i.e., 700-800 million people, in ice and snow sports, ice and snow leisure, and ice and snow tourism during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and steadily improve the contribution of tourism and leisure to the ice and snow economy. Strengthen specialized statistics and data monitoring for ice and snow tourism, guide local development of the ice and snow economy to integrate with culture, science and technology, tourism, industry, and modern service industries, promote the domestic production of ice and snow equipment, cultivate "national tide" brands of personal equipment, encourage provinces and cities with conditions to establish ice and snow days, and innovatively carry out ice and snow festival activities.

Second, accelerate the construction of a strong ice and snow tourism country. Drawing on the experience of developed countries, develop specialized plans for ice and snow tourism, clarifying the role and function of ice and snow tourism in the construction of a strong tourism country and a strong cultural country. Combining with the construction of ice and snow tourism destinations, build a number of world-class tourist attractions and resorts with profound cultural heritage, cities and leisure districts with distinctive cultural characteristics, and world-class and national-level tourism routes. In terms of destination image, market promotion, infrastructure, public services, and key project construction, focus on improving the reception system, building a new space for shared well-being between hosts and guests, and promoting tourism destinations from winter tourism to four-season tourism.

Third, focus on improving the modern ice and snow tourism industry system. Focus on giving full play to the decisive role of market mechanisms, and cultivate world-class ice and snow tourism enterprises, ice and snow leisure projects, and service brands. Enhance the cultural connotation of ice and snow tourism with modern civilization, contemporary art, and fashionable sports; extend the ice and snow tourism industry chain with scientific research and development, advanced manufacturing, and modern services; and build a people-centered and people-benefiting ice and snow tourism ecosystem with ecology, employment, and increased income. Regularly conduct surveys on tourist satisfaction and consumption behavior analysis, listen to the opinions and suggestions of frontline employees and community residents, and form a broad consensus and social synergy for the high-quality development of ice and snow tourism.

Fourth, improve the modernization level of the ice and snow tourism governance system and governance capacity. Build tourist-friendly cities and villages, and improve the reception system for individual tourists in tourist attractions, resorts, historical and cultural blocks, and business districts. Strengthen market supervision of key regions, key enterprises, and key industry groups, especially commercial behaviors that have been repeatedly prohibited, such as "price gouging," "big data killing," "forced transactions," "inducement of consumption," and "passing off inferior goods as superior ones," which have been repeatedly reported by tourists. During the ice and snow season, the government can "become popular online" and "pamper customers in various ways," it can also make timely and decisive handling of events that have formed public opinion, and it can also make good use of local legislative resources and law enforcement systems to consolidate the legal basis for governing tourism through law and developing tourism through law.