CHANGCHUN, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) — Snowboards and sleds have develop into the newest additions to Chinese New Year vacationers’ baggage, alongside native specialties and presents for household get-togethers.
Even a yr after the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, individuals’s enthusiasm for winter sports activities continues to grip the nation, impelling a legion of winter vacationers to hitch the primary Spring Festival journey rush after China additional optimized its COVID-19 measures.
Many persons are making the most of the vacation season to hit the slopes and benefit from the snowy climate. “Apart from suitcases, snowboards, sleds and other winter sports gear are the most common luggage seen at the airport this holiday,” mentioned Zhang Haili, a supervisor with the Changchun Longjia International Airport within the northeastern province of Jilin, which boasts a number of world-class ski resorts.
Through the 40-day vacation journey season, the province’s airports registered greater than 15,500 flights and 1.93 million passenger journeys, up 9.56 % and 0.56 %, respectively, from the pre-pandemic ranges in 2019, in keeping with the Jilin Civil Airports Group Company.
Tourists going for snow and ice actions have accounted for greater than 60 % of the air site visitors, in keeping with the corporate.
Since final December, Changbaishan Airport within the metropolis of Baishan has elevated home flights to metropolises comparable to Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou.
In January, the airport dealt with a file excessive of over 90,000 passengers, up 89.59 % yr on yr and 35.77 % larger than the 2019 degree.
Located simply 15 km away from the airport, Changbai Mountain Wanda International Resort has develop into a well-liked vacation spot for ski fans touring from the japanese and southern areas of China.
Song Wei, a veteran skier from Shanghai, has been busy working towards snowboarding on the resort since January. “I used to go to Japan and Europe for skiing, but now Changbai Mountain is my new destination,” Song mentioned.
During the Spring Festival vacation, which ran from Jan. 21 to 27 this yr, the ski resort’s every day income exceeded 10 million yuan (about 1.46 million U.S. {dollars}) for 3 consecutive days, the very best since 2012.
“With high-speed railways and flights linking the resort, people now have easier access to ice-and-snow recreation,” mentioned Yang Zhe, a supervisor of the resort.