On September 10, 2025, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism held an autumn press conference to advance its winter ice and snow tourism supply. It is projected that during the 2025-2026 ice and snow season, the number of ice and snow tourists nationwide is expected to exceed 400 million, with revenue exceeding 600 billion yuan. This marks the official formation of the "Three Norths Arc" and the new "multi-point contiguous" pattern encompassing the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Sichuan, and Chongqing. Main Article:
1. 19 5A Scenic Spots Launch New Features, Shanxi Jin Temple and Fujian Guanzhi Mountain Become Winter "Dark Horses"
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has newly announced 19 national 5A-level tourist attractions. Eight mountain scenic spots, including Shanxi Jin Temple Tianlong Mountain, Fujian Guanzhi Mountain, Guizhou Zhijin Cave, and Hubei Enshi Grand Canyon, have explicitly promoted winter tourism, offering combined ice and snow, hot springs, and intangible cultural heritage packages. Jin Temple Tianlong Mountain's "Song Dynasty Colored Sculptures + Icefall Spectacle" began its trial operation on December 1st, with pre-sale tickets selling out within a week. Guanzhi Mountain's "Danxia + Hot Springs + Hakka Intangible Cultural Heritage" package boasts an average cost of 1,200 yuan per person, a 45% increase compared to normal.
2. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports and Cultural Tourism Belt has been upgraded, with 10 ski and ice routes linked together and offering 144-hour visa-free entry.
Beijing and Hebei Province jointly launched 10 "Beijing-Zhangjiakou Winter Ski and Ice" themed routes, covering the three major ski clusters of Yanqing, Chongli, and Chicheng. These routes, supported by a 144-hour transit visa-free policy, are expected to attract 300,000 international tourists. The National Ski Jumping Center's "Snow Ruyi" nighttime light show and the Chongli Winter Olympic Village's "athlete-style" homestays were fully booked two months in advance.
3. Winter and snow consumption is expanding southward and westward, with indoor ski resorts in Guangzhou and Chengdu filling up even during the off-season.
With the advancement of the "North-South, South-West Expansion" strategy, eight major indoor ski resorts, including Guangzhou Hot Snow Miracle, Chengdu Sunac Snow World, and Kunming Stone Forest Ice and Snow Ocean World, are projected to see a 50% year-on-year increase in November visitor traffic. Guangzhou Hot Snow Miracle's one-stop "skiing, Cantonese cuisine, and Cantonese intangible cultural heritage" offerings have seen a 65% share of families with children, with an average stay of 4.5 hours per person, and 58% of secondary purchases.
4. Intangible Cultural Heritage is Being Demonstrated in Scenic Spots. Heilongjiang's "Ice Winter Fishing" Event Welcomes 20,000 Visitors in a Single Day. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is guiding local governments to promote the live display of intangible cultural heritage in scenic spots. The first net of Heilongjiang's Jingpo Lake "Ice Winter Fishing" is expected to yield 300,000 jin (approximately 100,000 kilograms) of bighead carp, attracting 20,000 visitors in a single day and boosting the occupancy rate of surrounding homestays by 50%. The "Korean Ice and Snow Long Drum Dance" in Yanbian, Jilin, and the "Ice and Snow Nadam" in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, have become viral hits on short video platforms, with over 800 million views.
5. Forecast: Revenues for the 2025-2026 Ice and Snow Season Will Exceed 600 Billion Yuan, with Per Capita Spending Reaching 1,500 Yuan. The China Tourism Academy predicts that the number of ice and snow tourists nationwide is expected to exceed 400 million during the new ice and snow season, generating revenue exceeding 600 billion yuan and per capita spending reaching 1,500 yuan. The combined market size of the three derivative industries of ice and snow equipment, training, and cultural and creative industries is expected to exceed 200 billion yuan, accelerating the transformation of "cold resources" into a "hot economy."
Industry insiders remind that winter tourism needs to focus on three major issues: transportation, safety, and environmental protection. It is recommended that all regions continue to improve the smart reservation, time-sharing transportation, and emergency rescue systems to allow tourists to "play in the snow with confidence and spend the winter safely."