A delegation from Heilongjiang province, led by the deputy governor, Sun Yao, visited Beijing, on Nov 5, to describe their new scenic winter offerings, featuring ice and snow and popular travel routes and resorts, with winter sports, such as the large ski resort at Yabuli.
Ice sculptures illuminated by colored lights at the International Ice and Snow Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on Jan 21, 2015. [Photo by Li Qiang/For China Daily]

The delegates described five itineraries that include a popular travel route from the “city of ice”, the provincial capital of Harbin to the Yabuli International Ski Resort then on to a Snow Town, the beautiful Hailin, with frozen rivers and lakes, snow-covered mountains and forests, folk customs, and unique outings in arctic weather added. They also offered more than 100 activities, including a winter game and a group wedding on Christmas Day, which combine folk customs with tourism resources, such as hot springs, snowy scenery and icy mountains.

Lending a hand to the promotion were Wang Meng, a speed skater and four-time Olympic medal winner, and Wang Manli, a women's Olympic speed skating silver medalist, who showed up as winter tourism ambassadors from their hometown. The province’ tourism bureau also has an Internet plan to promote tourism by cooperating with online travel agencies Ctrip, Tuniu, Mafengwo, and Aoyou, and the promoter Meituan.

Beijing is just the first stop on the promotion tour, with expectations to continue on to the city of Tianjin, Shenyang in Liaoning province, Shijiazhuang in Hebei, and Hangzhou in Zhejiang, local tourism officials say.