Beneath the gentle winter sun, skiing enthusiasts navigate the meandering ski slopes in loops, their vividly - colored silhouettes tracing elegant arcs. Inside the cozy restaurants, diners savor delectable cuisine with contented expressions on their faces. The steamy atmosphere is permeated with the sense of relaxation of office workers after a long - day's toil... As winter sets in, people's demands in aspects of "food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment" have undergone seasonal changes, giving rise to a consumption model brimming with "warmth" and emerging as a prominent topic in the seasonal economic landscape.

Consumption serves as the core driving force for economic development and the "primary engine" for attaining economic growth. Since the start of this year, various regions in Xinjiang have thoroughly tapped into consumption potential, invigorated market dynamism, broadened consumption scenarios, and facilitated the continuous recovery and enhancement of consumption. Towards the year - end, winter consumption in Xinjiang is crafting a narrative of winter vitality in the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt through a multi - dimensional hotspot matrix.

Ice and snow sports have emerged as the core driver of consumption

On December 2, the sun shone brightly in the Nanshan area of Urumqi, and the temperature was pleasant. On the ski slopes of the Silk Road Mountain Resort, Yu Mohan, a fourth - grade student from the 55th Primary School in Urumqi, was learning snow - walking skills from a coach.

"Open the front of the skis outward, lift your feet, and walk forward..." As the coach gave instructions, Yu Mohan, with a rosy face, held his breath and made the movements with a bit of difficulty as he followed the group.

"I come skiing several times a year, and I've always skied on a snowboard. This is my first time skiing on twin - skis, and I'm determined to learn it," Yu Mohan said.

Coach Ahemaiyer·Nuerbai stated that starting from 10 o'clock, he had been guiding this group of children to obtain ski equipment, put on ski boots, and proceed to the ski resort to practice fundamental skiing maneuvers. After concluding his session with this group of children, he would also need to lead another group of children in skiing.

Currently, it is the first ski holiday for primary and middle - school students in Urumqi, and the Silk Road Mountain Resort is witnessing a surge in passenger flow. "The passenger flow has doubled, and the ski resort accommodates over 20,000 skiers daily," remarked Duan Yu, the director of the marketing department of the ski resort. During the ski holiday, the ski resort has implemented preferential policies, exempting students aged 6 - 18 from paying ski tickets when they come to ski. The rental fee for ski boards and helmets is 50 yuan, which entices more primary and middle - school students to hit the snow and relish their ski holiday.

On November 29th, the 23rd Urumqi Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival, themed "Viewing Snow in the Sunny Urumqi", commenced here. Urumqi has developed more than 10 ice and snow tourism routes, encompassing immersive experiences such as "high - end skiing, health and wellness vacations, public entertainment, folk custom experiences, and wild snow cycling". It has also organized over 160 types and more than 300 sessions of featured activities, including immersive research and study activities, intangible cultural heritage experience exhibitions, New Year's Eve events, and folk art lantern festivals.

In Altay, renowned as the "Snow Capital", since the opening of high - mountain ski resorts like Keketuohai International Ski Resort and Jikepulin International Ski Resort, the local area has seized the opportunity of the 2025 Xinjiang Hot Snow Festival to invite ice and snow sports enthusiasts from across the globe. The Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture intends to launch 109 ice and snow tourism activities to guarantee "a theme every week and a highlight every month". The Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture has introduced 6 high - quality routes and hosted over 80 activities centered around the brand of "A Special Warm Winter Tour in the Tianshan Mountains". The Kashi region is actively establishing winter sports event IPs to promote the integrated development of "events + sightseeing" and "events + experiences"...

All regions in Xinjiang are leveraging the "magnetic effect" of ice and snow sports, facilitating the transformation of "cold resources" into a "hot economy" and fully stimulating consumer vitality. Data from the 2024 - 2025 snow season indicates that the S - class ski resorts in Xinjiang have cumulatively received 3.5728 million tourists, representing a year - on - year increase of 10.22%; and have achieved a tourism revenue of 844 million yuan, showing a year - on - year increase of 39.13%, which demonstrates the strong appeal of the "ice and snow +" model.

The integrated innovation of the "ice and snow +" business models has continuously extended the consumption chain. "We have organized activities such as fireworks displays, the intangible cultural heritage project of iron flower shows, song and dance performances, and a show by 1,500 drones. Simultaneously, we have developed a night - economy model centered around night - time skiing by integrating catering, hotel and other services, offering new leisure options to citizens," said Duan Yu.

Inelastic demand for warmth has spurred a surge in clothing consumption

The winter consumption hotspots associated with "ice and snow +" have invigorated the equipment consumption market. At the Outdoor City within Diwang International Mall in Urumqi, the proprietor of a store dealing in outdoor sports products is occupied with packing orders. The store proprietor stated, "Consumers this year are well - informed. They not only demand warmth but also specifically request professional materials that are cut - resistant and wear - resistant. The styles featuring touch - screen functions are the top - sellers, and the daily sales of ski gloves can reach a maximum of 1,000 yuan."

Ms. Wu, the assistant to the chairman of Diwang Mall, stated that as early as the beginning of November, the outdoor area of Diwang Mall initiated the ski - season themed event titled "Passionate Ice and Snow, Wonderful Gathering · 2025 Winter Plan". It cooperated with the Silk Road Mountain Resort and Tianshan Tianchi Ski Resort to establish a one - stop consumption scenario of sports experience and cultural entertainment for consumers, facilitating the integration of ice and snow culture and urban life.

Skiing not only has a high demand for equipment such as ski suits, gloves, and snowboards, but the harsh winter cold also stimulates people's demand for warmth, propelling the consumption of warm clothing into a peak period, featuring distinct characteristics of "upgraded essential needs, segmented scenarios, and integration of online and offline".

On December 1, Ms. Yan, a resident of Urumqi, chose a pair of new - style MINI snow boots for herself at a brand - store in the Wuyue Plaza, which specializes in selling snow boots and down jackets. "I have a strong preference for snow boots. This time, I also took advantage of the mall's promotion, which offered a 200 - yuan discount for every 1,000 - yuan purchase. It was a rather favorable deal," Ms. Yan stated.

"Our brand primarily provides genuine leather snow boots made of fur - on - leather. They are warm, lightweight, and highly popular among consumers. Over 60% of our customers are repeat customers," said Han Lu, the store's shopping guide. As the weather turns colder, the store's business is improving steadily. The sales volume in November surpassed 500,000 yuan.

On the second floor of this shopping mall, the Gloria women's clothing store is filled with customers who are meticulously selecting their preferred clothes. "The currently available clothing primarily consists of wool sweaters, cashmere coats, and down jackets. The target clientele are women aged between 20 and 60," stated Li Qinqin, the store manager. Since the store's opening on November 7th, it has initiated a promotion whereby customers can enjoy a 20% discount on all clothing and an additional 100-yuan reduction for every 1,000 yuan spent. In November, its sales ranked third among over 30 similar stores on the same floor.

The offline stores are bustling with business, and the sales of warm clothing on online platforms are equally prosperous.

With the frequent arrival of cold air, numerous e - commerce platforms have launched winter consumption promotion campaigns. At 10:00 on November 24, VIP.com initiated the "Winter Warmth Category Day" event, which achieved remarkable results in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. According to the platform's data from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, by 18:00 on the same day, the sales volume of down jackets in the region witnessed a year - on - year increase of 42%, the growth rate of windbreakers reached 28%, and the sales of snow boots and fleece - lined thermal underwear increased by 35% and 31% respectively, all exceeding the national average. "Taking into account the extremely cold weather in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, we have stocked up on appropriate items such as long down jackets with a down content of over 90% and windproof and waterproof windbreakers. The discounts for well - known brands are maintained at a range of 30% to 50% off," stated the relevant person - in - charge of VIP.com in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The inventory in the local warehouses in Urumqi, Changji and other locations on the platform has increased by 50% compared to last year, facilitating "next - day delivery".

Warm - stomach cuisine ignites the bustling atmosphere

"In the cold winter, having hot pot makes me feel warm all over and really happy," said Ma Xuejuan, a Urumqi resident, while savoring hot pot at the outdoor brand hot pot exhibition area held at Jianglai City in the second - phase of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street on December 3.

On the same day, the 2025 Xinjiang Ice and Snow Hot Pot Festival with the theme of "Gathering high - quality products in the snow - capped land and warming the Tianshan Mountains with hot pot" kicked off. The outdoor brand hot pot exhibition was the core event leading the way at this hot pot festival. During the three - day exhibition, 18 hot pot enterprises, 17 food ingredient enterprises and 20 high - quality product enterprises made their appearances, offering free samples to the public. At the event site, hot pots of various sizes and made of different materials were steaming on each stall, attracting numerous citizens to stop and taste.

In front of the booth of Xiyan Hot Pot · Qinghu Fish Feast, four hot pots, including those with spicy flavors and the health - preserving wooden barrel fish hot pot, were emitting steam. "During my first participation in the hot pot festival, I did not anticipate that so many citizens would come to sample and commend our hot pots. We will adhere to the principle of 'only creating healthy and high - quality hot pots' and meticulously craft each product," stated Wang Yong, the founder of Xiyan Hot Pot · Qinghu Fish Feast. These two brands have been in existence for 18 years. The Sichuan - Chongqing style hot pot featuring freshly sliced beef has opened 8 branches in Urumqi.

The 2025 Xinjiang Ice and Snow Hot Pot Festival, which is coordinated across the entire region, will extend until February 28, 2026, encompassing the entire snow season. During this period, over 150 hot pot brand stores and partner scenic spots participating in the event across the region will concurrently launch special promotions. Partner platforms such as Meituan will establish event sections, providing daily fixed - time flash sales of hot pot packages and discounted vouchers to continuously stimulate offline consumption.

Wang Ruobing, the president of the Xinjiang Catering Association, remarked that this event innovatively adopts a dual - track model of "theme event + industrial linkage". It not only generates popular topics through concentrated activities but also continuously unlocks consumption potential with a long - term linkage mechanism. This not only offers diverse winter consumption experiences to citizens and tourists but also promotes the in - depth integration of Xinjiang's catering industry with the cultural tourism and agricultural industries, infusing strong momentum into the development of Xinjiang's winter consumption.

In Turpan, the Gourmet Super League is scheduled to operate from the end of November to March of the following year. Every Saturday, 12 categories of Xinjiang's distinctive local delicacies will be presented sequentially at the Turpan Grand Bazaar, with the objective of establishing a regular gourmet event IP. Locally, additional food - themed tourist routes have been introduced, allowing tourists to appreciate the unique allure of Turpan while relishing the delicious cuisine. This contributes to the high - quality development of Turpan's cultural and tourism industry.

In the evenings in Hemu Village, Hemu Kanas Mongolian Ethnic Township, Burqin County, after taking part in the Hongbas Prairie Bonfire Party, tourists from across the country wander into the food street to indulge in delicacies such as roasted lamb, hand - grabbed rice, and special hot pots, experiencing the wonderful blend of ice and snow with the warmth of food.

The winter consumption vitality centered around the "ice and snow +" concept continues to soar, adding a vibrant hue to Xinjiang's winter economic landscape and providing continuous impetus for the sustained economic recovery and improvement throughout the year.

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