\\"Dream of Winter, Love among Asia!\\" This winter, China's \\"Ice City\\" Harbin has again become a hot spot due to the 9th Asian Winter Games. A CGTN survey targeting global netizens shows that respondents are looking forward to seeing a more open and vibrant China, believing that the ice and snow economy is becoming a new growth point for China's economy.
Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games is another major international comprehensive ice and snow event hosted by China following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It is also the edition with the largest number of participating countries and regions and athletes in the history of the Asian Winter Games.
In the survey, 96 percent of respondents said they believe that the Asian Winter Games will further ignite the enthusiasm for ice and snow sports among people in Asian countries and enhance the level of ice and snow sports in Asia and globally. Meanwhile, 87.8 percent of respondents believe that the Asian Winter Games will help promote exchanges and cooperation among Asian countries, and 94.7 percent say that with the continuous optimization of China's visa-free policies, they look forward to seeing a more open and vibrant China.
Data shows that since the successful hosting of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the number of ice and snow sports enthusiasts in China has reached 313 million, with 264 million participating since the winter of 2023. In this regard, 96.6 percent of respondents believe that international sports events help popularize and promote ice and snow sports in China.
In addition to popular ice and snow tourism destinations like Harbin, indoor ice and snow venues have begun to appear in some warmer southern regions of China.
Ice and snow sports have gradually broken through climate and geographical limitations, integrating into the daily lives of many Chinese people. Various regions have also combined their tourism resources to launch a series of integrated commercial, cultural, tourism, and sports activities, such as \\"ice and snow + shopping,\\" \\"ice and snow + food,\\" \\"ice and snow + tourism,\\" and \\"ice and snow + sports.\\"
A total of 91.9 percent of respondents believe that the \\"ice and snow +\\" model will drive local consumption upgrades and industrial transformation. Another 94.7 percent agree that the ice and snow economy is becoming a new growth accelerator for China's economy.
In recent years, ice and snow sports and tourism have driven the extensive development of industrial chains such as equipment manufacturing, education and training, research and development of recreational facilities, and cultural creativity.
The survey shows that 92.1 percent of respondents believe that under the radiating effect of ice and snow events like the Asian Winter Games, China's ice and snow economy will usher in new development vitality. Meanwhile, 95 percent of respondents believe China's ice and snow economy prospects will be even brighter, driven by favorable policies and market demand.
This survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian platforms, attracting the participation of 4,607 netizens within 24 hours.
