CHONGQING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- As scorching summer temperatures grip much of China, a wave of heat-driven consumer trends, from booming travel bookings to vibrant night markets, is creating fresh growth opportunities.

Amid soaring temperatures, cool destinations in northeast China have emerged as top choices for tourists seeking relief from the heat.

Lake Songhua Resort, a renowned ski venue in the city of Jilin, Jilin Province, has transformed its ski runs into trails for cross-country running, mountain biking and camping sites. Various off-road competitions, concerts and camping activities are held at the resort every day.

"I never imagined a ski resort could also be so much fun in summer," said Sun Duo, a tourist from east China's Zhejiang Province.

Zhao Lanju, general manager of the resort, said the average summer temperature in Jilin City hovers around 22 degrees Celsius, and its lush mountains and clear rivers make it a natural haven for escaping the heat, even on the hottest days.

Zhao added that since the resort began its summer operations in late April, it has received 180,000 visits, up 18 percent year on year.

Other parts of Jilin are also seeing a tourist boom. According to the Jilin Province Civil Aviation Airport Group Co., Ltd., the airport in the provincial capital Changchun is projected to handle approximately 3.28 million passenger trips during the summer travel rush, with 196 flights added every week to meet people's travel demands.

While Jilin capitalizes on its natural cool climate, Chongqing, a southwestern municipality often dubbed one of China's "fire stoves" for its scorching summers, has found unique ways to beat the heat.

Despite the sweltering temperatures reaching around 40 degrees Celsius outside, a hotpot restaurant located in an air-raid shelter has attracted numerous diners, no air conditioning needed.

A mountainous city, Chongqing is home to over 1,600 air-raid shelters, which in peacetime have been repurposed into naturally cool spaces offering respite from the heat.

Every summer, the city opens some of them for local residents and tourists to cool off. The city has also announced plans to transform these shelters into diverse consumer spaces, including museums, bookstores, teahouses and hotpot restaurants.

Last year alone, the transformed air-raid shelters welcomed over 4 million visits, generating a revenue of 60 million yuan (about 8.39 million U.S. dollars), according to official data.

Soaring temperatures during the day have also prompted residents to go out after sunset, fueling the "night economy."

In downtown Chongqing, where the Yangtze River and Jialing River meet, a spectacular light show featuring 5,000 drones takes place every Saturday night and on holidays, driving an unprecedented boom in night markets and commercial streets.

In mid-June this year, Chongqing set a Guinness World Record with a performance involving 11,787 drones. More than 100,000 residents and tourists gathered to witness the event.

Since the regular drone performances began on April 19 this year, the show has generated over 350 million yuan in consumer spending, with revenues at several restaurants along a nearby folk culture street soaring by nearly 80 percent compared to regular days.

"Though the drone show lasts only 20 minutes, the economic impact it generates extends well beyond that brief performance," said Li Jingliang, director of the show. ■