Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has welcomed over 130 million visitors from around the country and abroad from November 8, 2024, to February 28, 2025, becoming a major driver of the winter economy throughout the 2024-2025 ice and snow season.

During the three-and-half-month tourism season, Heilongjiang Province reported a total of 135.08 million domestic and international visitors, marking an 18.5 percent increase from the previous year.

Total tourist spending in the province reached 211 billion yuan (about 29 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, up more than 30 percent from the previous year, according to the Heilongjiang Department of Culture and Tourism.

The province was not alone in enjoying booming winter tourism this season, with total visits to winter tourism sites expected to surpass 520 million nationwide, while total revenue is expected to surpass 630 billion yuan (about 86 billion U.S. dollars), marking an over 20 percent year-on-year rise, according to estimates from the China Tourism Academy.