Anna Ivanova, a tourist from Russia, was surprised to find amazing ice and snow scenery in Arxan, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
"In a pure ice and snow environment at minus 20 degrees Celsius, I'm bathed in a natural hot spring. I can look up and see the starry sky and the vast forest and snowfields," she said.
The 20th Arxan Ice and Snow Festival kicked off on Nov. 15. Arxan, located at the southwestern foot of the Dahinggan Mountains and at the intersection of four major grasslands, has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in recent years thanks to its ice and snow and hot spring resources. The county-level region has a long winter lasting seven months each year, with snow cover for about six months.
Over the past two decades, Arxan has undergone a transformation from merely offering ice and snow sightseeing to a comprehensive cultural and tourism scenario that integrates ice and snow, sports events, hot springs, folk customs and health care.
"Such an idea of industrial upgrading is worth learning. Arxan has done an excellent job in transforming natural resources into a driving force for economic development," Ivanova said.
This year, the festival has attracted numerous tourists like Ivanova from Russia, many of whom are drawn to Arxan's offerings in ice and snow tourism and participate in group tours.
"The hot spring water here is of excellent quality. For us Russians, a winter vacation requires not only high-quality snow scenery but also the hot springs that can relieve fatigue. Here in Arxan, the two are perfectly combined," said Dmitri Sokolov, another tourist from Russia.
Russian tourists are attracted not only to the ultimate ice and snow tourism experience but also to the increasingly open cross-border tourism policy.
At this year's festival, the "China-Mongolia-Russia-the Republic of Korea cross-border golden tourism line cooperation mechanism" was signed, paving the way for the future development of more convenient and diverse cross-border tourism products.
"I heard that it is more convenient to go to other beautiful places in China from here, which is very exciting," said Alexander Petrov. "Arxan is undoubtedly an ideal cross-border tourism hub. I'm more than willing to recommend this place to more friends."
This year, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has launched a five-month ice-snow tourism season, featuring 159 cultural activities, 48 sporting events and 45 themed travel routes as part of a nationwide push to develop China's ice-and-snow economy driven by winter tourism, according to local authorities.
China has unveiled an ambitious plan to develop its ice-and-snow economy as a new economic driver. A guideline released by the State Council last year set targets of reaching 1.2 trillion yuan (about 169.5 billion U.S. dollars) in total market value by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.
