A special train carrying 600 tourists traveling from Harbin, Heilongjiang province arrived at Beitun Railway Station in Altay city, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug 7. The arrival marked peak of this year’s Harbin-Altay train tourism service.

The special train service is Heilongjiang’s bid to boost economic and cultural cooperation between the two cities. According to officials, Heilongjiang province also hopes that it will help Altay rid itself of poverty by developing the tourism industry.

The “Longtai” tourist trains operate from July to September, making 10 journeys along the 9,000-kilometer railway route and passing through 33 cities in 10 provinces. Four of the ten journeys are in August.

The trains will pass through Heilongjiang province, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province, and Ningxia Hui autonomous region before finally arriving in Altay city. The service offers tourists a chance to appreciate the beautiful scenery, which includes dense forests, vast grasslands, desolate deserts, and majestic mountains.

Officials said the rail service is mainly targeted at middle-aged and elderly tourists. The trains are equipped with modern facilities with comfortable beds, allowing customers to enjoy a slow and pleasant journey over a 15-day travel period.

Since launching the service in 2017, a total of 13 tourist trains have operated on the route, carrying around 20,000 tourists to Altay.

Altay is located in the northern part of Xinjiang, bordering Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. It has a population of 670,000 people and is home to 39 ethnic groups including Kazakh, Han, Hui, Uygur, and Mongolian peoples. Kazakhs account for more than half of the total population.

Along with its rich minority culture, Altay has more than 200 scenic areas with magnificent natural landscapes, including glacial rivers, forest grasslands, alpine valleys, lakes, wetlands, the Gobi, and other deserts.

The city is also an ideal summer resort due to its cool temperatures during summer.

From 2017 to 2018, Heilongjiang invested more than 30 million yuan in Altay in aid funds and invested more than 60 million yuan in the city’s tourism sector. In 2017, Heilongjiang increased the number of tourists to Altay by 52.7 percent and increased tourism revenue by 52.1 percent.

The “Longtai” tourist train was awarded second place for its contribution to tourism in Xinjiang by the Xinjiang Tourism Commission in 2017.

 A celebration ceremony for tourists from Heilongjiang is held in Altay, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug 7. [Photo/chinanews.com]