Travelers eagerly brace for bustling snow, ice season
China DailyTourists enjoy a light moment at a ski resort in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Thursday. Tourism industry insiders said that the snow season this year — roughly from November to March 2024, is the first complete one since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and it is expected to see the strong growth of winter tourism and winter sports. Online travel agency Trip.com Group said that in the weeklong period starting from Nov 4, searches for "hot springs" and "skiing" registered a growth of 50 percent from the previous week. "What's more, people from the warmer southern provinces have a greater interest in winter tourism, thanks to the popularity of indoor ski slopes and ice-themed parks in those areas," Qi said. Trip.com Group said that between Nov 4 and 8, which was the "Start of Winter", the 19th solar term of the year, bookings for attractions with hot springs increased by 140 percent compared with the previous five days.