On January 26, the Information Office of Liaoning Provincial People’s Government held the sixth press conference of the series on the economic performance of Liaoning in 2023, presenting a comprehensive overview and major achievements, distinctive features, and highlights of the province’s cultural and tourism industry in 2023.
In 2023, Liaoning’s cultural and tourism market experienced a surge in both supply and demand, showcasing a trend of high-quality development in the tourism economy. The province received 510 million tourists, representing a staggering year-on-year increase of 142.9%. The tourism revenue reached 502.26 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 166%. All the growth rate indicators set record highs.
Last year, Liaoning conducted a comprehensive survey of cultural and tourism resources, identifying over 33,000 sites throughout the province. Leveraging its resource advantages, Liaoning focused on the high-quality development of new products and formats such as cultural leisure, island tourism, health and wellness vacations, and winter hot springs. Empowered by digital technology, the province fostered new cultural and tourism formats and products. The “Liaoning Tour” mobile app and mini-program were officially launched, enabling digital storytelling of Liaoning’s rich heritage and providing visitors with a new intelligent travel experience. Liaoning also unveiled a new slogan for cultural and tourism promotion: Nature’s Embrace, Liaoning’s Grace. The range of products, including winter activities such as “Playing with Ice and Snow” and “Relaxing in Hot Springs”, as well as the enriching experience of “Visiting Liaoning to Celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year”, continued to diversify, igniting enthusiasm among people from across the country to visit Liaoning.
In 2023, cultural exhibitions, tourism performances, China-chic and traditional Chinese elements emerged as new trends in tourism. Throughout the year, Liaoning hosted over a thousand cultural, sports, tourism, and commercial events, witnessing a surge in sports competitions and commercial performances. The province’s registered museums received a total of approximately 25.75 million visitors, marking a growth of 179.2%, compared to 2022. Various commercial performance activities were held, totaling 3,689 shows, including 152 large-scale events such as concerts and music festivals, which stimulated consumption growth in multiple sectors across the province.
During the 2023-2024 winter season, the development of Liaoning’s “Ice and Snow + Hot Spring” tourism resources showed remarkable results. The province focused on the three key projects: promotion of the “Guaipo-Shenyang Metropolitan Area Ice and Snow Resort”, comprehensive upgrades of service facilities at the Northeast Asia International Ski Resort in Shenyang, and the construction of supporting facilities at the Huaximu’s Yunshan Ski Resort in Benxi. These projects contributed to a total of 110 ice and snow projects throughout the province. Additionally, the province hosted the National Joyful Ice and Snow Tourism Season: 2023-2024 Liaoning Ice and Snow Hot Spring Public Experience, while planning and promoting eight winter tourism routes.
To achieve a sustainable development in winter tourism, Liaoning will seize the opportunity to host the 15th National Winter Games, promoting the development of the entire industry chain of ice and snow tourism, ice and snow sports, and ice and snow equipment. This initiative aims to enrich the content of ice and snow events and promote the ice and snow tourism.
