STORY: Worldwide enthusiasts revel in Xinjiang ice and snow wonderland 
SHOOTING TIME: File
DATELINE: Feb. 16, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:05
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ice-and-snow tourism in Xinjiang
2. various of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) Qualifier event in Xinjiang
3. various of ice-and-snow tourism in Xinjiang

STORYLINE:

The ice-and-snow sports fever ignited by the 2022 Winter Olympics is persisting in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where skiing enthusiasts from across the globe are converging, keeping the region firmly in the tourism spotlight.

Thanks to its long snow season, good snow quality and diverse terrain, Xinjiang has been thrust into the limelight and gained sporting popularity among international skiing enthusiasts in recent years.

According to data provided by the cultural and tourism department of this autonomous region, there are currently a total of 188 ice and snow venues throughout Xinjiang. 

Among them are 101 ski resorts, 27 ice skating rinks, and 60 ice and snow amusement parks, achieving full coverage of ice and snow facilities in all 14 prefectures and cities across the region. 

During the 2022-2023 snow season, the region's S-level ski resorts hosted over 2 million visitors.

In late December 2023, a Freeride World Tour (FWT) Qualifier event was held at the international ski resort of Jikepulin in Altay. The contest saw nearly 120 daring skiers engaged in intense competition on the Jikepulin slopes.

As a premier global freeride skiing series, FWT has been running for over two decades, providing a platform for the world's top stars to showcase their skills and push freeride sports boundaries. The 2023 FWT Qualifier at Jikepulin was the first to be held in China.

Meanwhile, seeing the ballooning development of ice and snow sports in Xinjiang, more global players in the industry are showing their confidence in Xinjiang, believing that the region has a promising future.

According to the local culture and tourism department, in 2023, Xinjiang received 265 million tourists, an increase of 117 percent from the previous year, with overall tourism revenue reaching nearly 296.72 billion yuan (about 42 billion U.S. dollars), up 227 percent year on year.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)