During the New Year's holiday this year, the tourism market of Yichang has enjoyed a golden period, in which those newly developed tourist items, including snow and ice tourism, hot spring tourism and rural tourism, play a leading role, with popularity catching up traditional scenic spots. According to statistics, the total number of tourists of the city is 8,381,000, and the tourism revenue reaches 352 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.3 percent and 27.54 percent respectively.

　　This New Year holiday witnessed a booming market of rural tourism. The new tourism mode of “Sightseeing + Experiencing Folk Custom” has boosted the surrounding countryside festival activities, which become the first choice for many tourists. “The Second Village New Year’s Shopping Festival”, held on the New Year’s Day in Yuan’an County, has attracted nearly 20,000 visitors. There are the New Year’s goods, the performance of the folk custom—“washing new year’s pig”, and the big pot stewed New Year’s pig which can be shared by thousand people. Visitors can enjoy delicious foods and find fun in participating those activities that most of them had cherished in their memory of childhood.

　　In Zigui County, the traditional festival of killing New Year’s pig has attracted numerous tourists. Different towns, such as Yanglinqiao Town, Qu Yuan Town, Shazhenxi Town, have held different forms of New Year’s Pig Festival, in which the profound folk culture of the local places and Qu Yuan cultural activities have aroused great interest of tourists. “The Third Tujia Nationality Folk Festival”, was held in Bai Yiping of Caihua Township in Wu Feng County, has also attracted numerous tourists. This festival, themed on Tusi culture and farming life, has given tourists the opportunity to experience the ethical and rural life of Tujia Minority Ethnic Group, and appreciating the unique charm of Biyi Ancient Village Scenic Spot. .

　　Apart from the countryside tourist activities, Yichang’s winter tourism products are also popular among tourists. The Wuling Gorge Scenic Spot in Yuan’an is characterized by the “Climbing Wuling perilous peak, and enjoying Wuling hot spring”, enables tourists to feel the fun of the “enjoying Hot Spring surrounded by green trees”. It has received almost 4,000 visitors within three days. Bailihuang Ice Sculpture Park, the first of its kind in Yichang, is also open to visitors. The Ice Sculpture Park had invited more than 30 masters of ice sculpture from Harbin to create sculpture works on the spot. Exquisite cartoon style and beautiful stage lighting have created a luxury ice kingdom tour for tourists. During the festival, Bailihuang Ice Sculpture Park has received a total number of 5,400 visitors. The special products of Shennongjia ski tour launched by some travel agencies of our city are also popular with among tourists. (Reporter: Wang Ying; correspondent: Li Kan, Hong Jia)