On December 12, the Information Office of Liaoning Provincial People’s Government held the fourth press conference of the “Nature’s Embrace, Liaoning’s Grace” series. The conference introduced the 2023-2024 Joyful Ice and Snow Tourism Season, Liaoning Public Ice and Snow Hot Spring Experience Season, and the Opening Ceremony of Gongchangling International Skiing Invitational Tournament, as well as Liaoyang’s significant efforts this year in promoting ice and snow-related tourism, sports and cultural experiences. It also highlighted the main measures, key events, relevant arrangements, and distinctive features aimed at fostering the development of the ice and snow economy.

Liaoyang seizes the prime opportunity of the ice and snow economy, capitalizing on market demand to expand the influence of its tourism resources of ice and snow and hot spring through the “Three Major Sectors”. The goal is to achieve a promising start in the ice and snow economy.

The first sector: Winter tourism in Liaoyang provides an exhilarating experience of ice and snow, displaying the beauty of the northern landscapes. The series of events, including the Liaoyang Ice and Snow Hot Spring Fur Festival, Taizi River Ice and Snow Festival, Erdao River Ice Fishing Festival, and Sun Herb Farm Chinese New Year Picking Festival offer a dazzling array of activities, combining hot spring leisure, sports competitions and performances, fishing and picking, and tasty food and beautiful scenery with the enchantment of ice and snow.

The second sector: Unleashing the power of ice and snow, and traveling along with sporting events. Liaoyang will create a new engine of “Events+Tourism”, continuously pooling sports industry resources. For example, the Liaoning Gongchangling International Skiing Invitational Tournament is about to kick off with great excitement. In addition to the ongoing professional skiing events, Liaoyang will also organize a wide range of ice and snow sports activities for the public, such as the Winter Ice Skating Competition and the Youth Skiing Winter Camp.

The third sector: Shaping tourism through culture, promoting culture through tourism, and facilitating the comprehensive integration of culture, sports and tourism. Liaoyang Grand Theater will present international performances, such as the Symphony Orchestra’s Chinese New Year Concert and ballet performances. Guangyou Temple Fair will invite inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and master artisans from Liaoyang to showcase over 30 intangible cultural heritage projects, such as paper cutting, sugar figure blowing, and wood carving. Liaoyang will also launch more than 20 Spring Festival series activities, including exquisite flower exhibitions and traditional Han-style events, to welcome the Chinese New Year.