People participate in snow entertainment at a ski resort in Kazak Autonomous County of Mori, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 12, 2022. The 2nd snow and ice tourism carnival in Kazak Autonomous County of Mori kicked off on Monday. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

 
During the Spring Festival holidays, Northwest China's Xinjiang received more than 4.78 million tourists, up 32.79 percent from last year and bringing the total tourism income to 3.551 billion yuan. Among all the tourist attractions, ski resorts were the most popular, with ice-snow tourism becoming a new growth sector for the region.  

During the Spring Festival holidays, Fuyun county in Altay Prefecture, which is globally recognized as the birthplace of skiing, received 170,900 tourists with revenue of 136.71 million yuan, the Global Times learned from local authorities in Fuyun.  

Skiers from across China came to Fuyun to enjoy high-quality snow in the Koktokay skiing resort. To provide better service for tourists, the resort has upgraded its skiing-related facilities and accommodation. It also opened ski runs for professionals and amateurs, according to a press release sent to the Global Times by the publicity department in Fuyun county. 

Aside from Fuyun, ski resorts above the 5S level in Xinjiang received more visitors during the recent holiday. Data from the regional authorities showed that these resorts received 121,800 skiers, bringing revenue of more than 19.95 million yuan. The rising ice-snow tourism also boosted income for hotels, catering and other fields.