Harbin, China - Recent China's ice and snow tourism has experienced booming growth during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush which just concluded on Saturday. Data from Tongcheng Travel, an online travel service provider, shows that hotel bookings surged by over 40 percent year on year in many popular winter tourism destinations in northern China, including Altay and Yili in northwest China's Xinjiang, Qitaihe in northeast China's Heilongjiang and Xilingol League in north China's Inner Mongolia. The ice and snow fervor fueled by the Asian Winter Games, which were held in the "Ice City" of Harbin from February 7 to 14, has spurred economic growth and boosted tourism in the city and surrounding areas. As a result, domestic flight bookings for Harbin increased by over 20 percent year on year. Hotel bookings in the city rose by about 60 percent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the total number of inbound tourists has seen a year-on-year increase of over 144 percent. In addition to the northern regions which are traditionally winter tourist destinations, many places in the south are also seeing growing popularity for winter activities. The search volumes of ice and snow-related consumption more than doubled in places like Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong, according to data from Tongcheng Travel. "The number of tourists had increased about 30 percent during the Spring Festival, compared to the same period last year," said Zhou Daochun, an employee of a ski resort in Zhejiang Province. China's railway system had taken measures to deal with the ice and snow travel boom during this year’s Spring Festival travel rush with additional trains being operated between popular winter tourism destinations. Meanwhile, local railway systems also cooperated with transportation authorities to open special trains that could carry tourists to experience winter sports and events, achieving seamless transfer among railway stations, bus stops and ski resorts. In response to the surge in tourists heading to have fun with ice and snow in Shangri-La of southwest China's Yunnan province, local railway authorities operated special tourist trains that stopped in popular cities within the province, including Xishuangbanna, Kunming, and Dali. The trains then continued to Lijiang, where tourists could board a high-speed train that would take them directly to Shangri-La. Xiamen in east China's Fujian opened an ice and snow-themed train to Harbin for the first time. The local railway station also launched tailored services for certain tourists to ensure their safe and smooth travel. "We set up a designated area for tourist groups in the railway station's waiting area and assigned special personnel to help senior tourists, providing warm and secure services to ensure their comfort and safety," said Wu Zhenbin, staff working at the Xiamen North Railway Station. The video shows: Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Aerial shot of ice-snow park, tourists 2. Passengers walking 3. Harbin Taiping International Airport, vehicles 4. Passengers waiting in line Zhejiang Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Various of people skiing, snowboarding in indoor ski resort 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhou Daochun, employee, ski resort (starting with shot 5/ending with shot 7): "The number of tourists had increased about 30 percent during the Spring Festival, compared to the same period last year." 7. People on conveyor belt at ski resort, statues of snowman 8. Various of people in ski resort, people skiing Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China 9. People riding horses in snow-covered land Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent 10. Aerial shot of people having fun with ice and snow Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China - Recent 11. Aerial shot of people at ski resort Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent 12. People walking on railway station platform, train 13. Screen showing information of train Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China - Recent 14. Various of staff providing services for passengers 15. Passengers passing through ticket gates 16. Passengers walking with luggages 17. Bus approaching at bus stop 18. Passengers getting on bus Yunnan Province, southwest China - Recent 19. Cityscape, mountains 20. Tourist train 21. Passengers putting luggage on conveyor belt 22. Passengers walking 23. Passengers passing through ticket gates Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, southwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 24. Railway station, passengers walking Xiamen City, Fujian Province, east China - Recent 25. Ice and snow-themed train 26. People taking photos, image of 9th Asian Winter Games mascot on train window 27. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Zhenbin, staff, Xiamen North Railway Station (ending with shots 28-29): "We set up a designated area for tourist groups in the railway station's waiting area and assigned special personnel to help senior tourists, providing warm and secure services to ensure their comfort and safety." 28. Senior passengers 29. Passengers in line to get through ticket gates 30. Screen showing information of trains [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]