Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo Park. (Photo/CGTN)
What's more is that China's most northeastern province received almost 115 million domestic tourists in the first three quarters of 2017, up by nearly 13 percent year-on-year. It's these kinds of figures that have made the local government focus on this growing sector.
The Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Tourism Development Committee, Xi Dongguang said: "Snow and ice tourism has become an important engine of economic restructuring and upgrading and structural adjustment, and has also increased the income of some people. In the past, Heilongjiang was dominated by an energy economy and industry, and now the tertiary industry has increased 50 percent. It has become a crucial industry leading the economic development. Tourism is the leader of the tertiary industry. At present, snow in Heilongjiang province has turned into platinum and cold resources into hot economy."
Xi Dongguang stressed that the goal is for Heilongjiang to become the first choice destination for China's snow and ice tourism in the future, and then develop to be the landmark venue for international snow and ice tourism in the world.
