On December 26^th, the 5^th Jinlin International Ice & Snow Tourism Industry Exposition, the 8th Annual Meeting of China Tourism Industry and the 24^th Ice & Snow Festival were held in Chiangchun City. Chen Xiaoguang, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and Executive Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, announce the opening. Those attended and delivered speeches were Jing Junhai, Secretary of Jilin Provincial Party Committee, He Heping, minister and secretary of the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ma Jiantang, secretary of leading party group of Development Research Center of the State Council, Han Zirong,  general secretary and full-time vice chairman of the organizing committee of Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Duan Qiang, chairman of World Tourism Alliance and president of China Tourism Association. The host of the opening ceremony was Han Jun, acting governor and Deputy Secretary of Jilin Provincial Party Committee. Other attendees were Jiang Zelin, Chairman of CPPCC of Jilin Province, Du Jiang, vice minister and member of leading party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Cultural Exchange Organization of Presenting China to the World.

    Jing Haijun said that in recent years, the People’s Government in Jinlin Province has been implementing the spirit of important instructions made by general secretary Xi Jinping when he inspected Jilin; following principles of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” and “ice and snow are invaluable assets”; construct a ice and snow industrial system with cores of winter-themed sports, tourism, culture and equipment; leading ice and snow economy by promoting innovation, integration and development and carrying out the tasks of “transforming snow to gold” and of turning “cold resource” to “hot resource”. The Winter Olympic Games is held in Beijing, but visitors can have similar experience in Jinlin Province. Current, the province has been responding to the call of “300 million people participating winter sports” by seizing the opportunity of and engaging in the preparation of Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Seeing the conferences as chances, Jinlin is willing to offer assistance to the Olympic Games and to push the development of ice and snow economy so as to add new driving forces to the comprehensive rejuvenation of Jilin in all aspects.

    Hu Heping said that Jilin Province’s developing ice and snow industry and holding international ice and snow industrial expo are it’s way to implement the spirit of important instructions made by general secretary Xi Jinping. Along with the arrival of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, winter sports and winter tourism is becoming more and more popular, resulting in unprecedented opportunities for winter industries. He believes that Jilin can make the most of nation’s new round of the strategy of the rejuvenation of northeast China and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games to develop ice and snow industries, cultivate winter tourism brands and build a province with strong winter economy. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will continue to support Jilin’s regions with abundant ice and snow resource and attract more people to participate winter sports and winter tourism by centering around the Olympic Games and ice and snow, telling ice and snow stories well, promoting ice and snow culture, improving the quality of winter tourism and expanding winter tourism market.

    Ma Jiantang says that developing ice and snow economy is an important way to expand domestic demand, support a new economic increasing point and to build a healthy China. With rich snow and ice resource, the province is expected to keep Xi Jinping’s guidance in mind to organize mass winter sports, so as to further optimize business environment, improve infrastructure and integrate tourism, sports and provide for the aged. The aim is to develop a diverse industrial chain with winter tourism as it’s core and promote ice and snow economy with high quality.

    In the opening ceremony, Jing Junhai and Han Zirong jointly started the theme year activity of “Working Together in Winter Olympic Games·Chasing Dreams with Ice and Snow”.