From ice castles in Harbin to ski resorts in Xinjiang and glaciers in Sichuan, China’s ice and snow destinations are seeing a sharp rise in foreign arrivals as the winter weather deepens, with visa rules easing and strong Southeast Asian demand driving triple-digit growth in inbound travel.
Inbound bookings to China’s winter destinations have climbed close to 100 per cent year on year this season, with growth in Hebei province, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region all exceeding 130 per cent, according to data from online travel agency Trip.com.
Travellers from Southeast Asia account for nearly 70 per cent of arrivals, highlighting the appeal of ice and snow tourism for tourists from warmer climates.