Jilin Ice and Snow Economy Conference held in Changchun

The Jilin Ice and Snow Economy Conference was held in Changchun on December 4.

The conference reviewed the development of the ice and snow industry in Jilin over the past four years.

Four years ago, Jilin set the goal to become a province with a large ice and snow industry, a province with strong competitiveness in ice and snow tourism, and a world-class ice and snow tourist destination.

Remarkable achievements have been made ever since. From 2016 to 2019, Jilin saw an average increase of 10 million visitors annually during each snow season. In the season from 2018 to 2019, the province received 84.32 million visitors, up 16.08 percent year on year, and reported an ice and snow tourism revenue of 169.8 billion yuan, up 19.43 percent from a year ago.  

Over the past four years, Jilin has been actively exploring the value of its ice and snow resources. The ice and snow industry, once only a small fraction of the local economy, has grown to be a major one. The industry used to focus on resources-based eco tour only, but now a new development path has come into visible existence that promotes in-depth and efficient integration of multiple sectors and factors. 

The province has been injecting vigor into the industry with top-level design and policy innovation. In September 2016, the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Jilin Province released a document on developing the ice and snow industry, the first of its kind in China. According to the document, Jilin will develop a complete ice and snow industry chain with ice and snow tourism, ice and snow sports, and ice and snow culture as the core, complete with ice and snow equipment manufacturing, ice and snow commerce, ice and snow transport and"smart ice and snow". In addition, the document stipulated the structure of the industry and the measures to guarantee its development. Then relevant authorities came up with ten major projects to be launched and a list of the key tasks to be fulfilled. Among the measures that have been taken were those guaranteeing land supply, attracting visitors, and using the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity to develop ice and snow sports and ice and snow economy. Various local authorities have been involved.

Jilin has set snow sector as a priority as it develops the ice and snow industry. The province has 4.5 percent of China's ski resorts, 14.8 percent of China's ski lifts, and 18.1 percent of China's total area of snow runs. During the 2018-2019 snow season, 2.95 million people went skiing in Jilin, accounting for 14.97 percent of the national total and up 207.19 percent from the 2015-2016 season. Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort, Changbai Mountain International Resort, Jilin Beidahu Ski Resort has maintained their positions as the top 3 highest-visited ski resorts in China. Miaoxiang Mountain Ski Resort, Tianding Mountain Ski Resort and Luneng Ski Resort have also been gaining popularity.

Besides, a number of major projects have been launched including the Beishan Four-season Cross-road Ski Resort, Dream Jilin, Beidahu Zhongrui Ice and Snow Town, Evergrande Culture and Tourism City and Wanda Film City.

As part of its efforts to seek high-quality development for its ice and snow industry, Jilin has hosted ice and snow sports competitions, built ice and snow training bases, and promoted ice and snow sports on campus. At the same time, Jilin's show business, intangible cultural heritages and cultural and creative products have blossomed.

Jilin has also been improving its transportation network to bring in more visitors, such as increasing flights and speeding up high-speed trains. Besides, the province has been promoting ice and snow-themed food and commodities to spur ice and snow consumption. China's first homegrown ice and snow equipment was also manufactured in Jilin. Jilin is also home to the National Union of Ski Resorts, the China Center for Ice and Snow Economy Research and national training bases for ice and snow tourism professionals.

The province also plans to release an annual report on the development of China's ice and snow economy and host the Ice and Snow Silk Road International Forum.

In terms of ice and snow marketing, Jilin has launched a number of IPs to present different aspects of ice and snow travel in Jilin. It has also held promotions in various places across China including Heilongjiang, Beijing, Liaoning and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area. Jilin has also made full use of both traditional and new media platforms to promote itself.

To fully seize the opportunities presented by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Jilin Department of Culture and Tourism issued a declaration on upgrading Jilin's ice and snow industry into an ice and snow economy at the province's ice and snow economy development conference, clearly charting the course for developing an ice and snow economy.

On December 3, the provincial government's leading tourism team released a list, detailing the 63 major tasks for developing an ice and snow economy.

On December 4, 400 people, including officials of the provincial authorities on culture and tourism, development and reform, transport, sports, and agriculture and rural areas as well as representatives of universities, research institutes, enterprises, business associations and experts and scholars attended the ice and snow economy development conference.

Li Xiaojie, director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Education, said the department is actively promoting ice and snow sport on campus.  

Wang Zhencai, director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Transport, said that Jilin will complete the building of a number of new expressways next year totaling 722 kilometers to support ice and snow economy development.

Beidahu Skiing Resort, one of China's best ski resorts, has also made a great deal of efforts to organize ice and snow competitions, develop ice and snow sport and improve services.

During the 2019-2020 snow season, the Changbai Mountain International Tourism Resort launched a series of snow-themed products. A number of fights and trains were also added to connect tourists from outside Jilin to Changbai Mountain.

On December 13, the fourth Jilin Snow Expo will open in Changchun. Measures will also be taken to further improve Jilin's other tourism festivals including the Jilin Rime Festival, the Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival and the Changchun Vasa Skiing Festival.