Almost 400 Xinjiang scenic spots offer free admission during the Spring Festival

Near four hundred A-class scenic spots in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region offer free admission to travelers during the Spring Festival holidays,     1    February 10 to 24, a move to further embrace the ice and snow tourism boom across China over the upcoming major festival holiday.

Xinjiang also introduced     2    series of high-quality travel routes and key cultural activities during the Spring Festival holidays. During the Spring Festival     3    Lantern Festival,     4    (vary)cities in Xinjiang will host a total of 724 key cultural     5    (event) showcasing local customs, folk traditions, and cultural heritage. There will be 221 tourism-related activities in total.

Local scenic areas have     6    (quick) moved to capitalize on(利用) market trends like the ice and snow boom and continuously launched marketing events     7    (expand) related consumption, attracting consumers from across the country and even globally.

The surge(激增) in ice and snow tourism,     8     started from the New Year holiday, or even earlier, has already brought benefits of consumption     9    (recover) to China, from Harbin in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province to Sanya in South China’s Hainan province.

In the whole year of 2023, tourism in Xinjiang also     10    (achieve) rapid growth. As the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays approach, it is expected that the tourism market nationwide will continue to see a relatively big boom.

Fairy-tale ice sculptures attract hundreds of thousands of tourists into China’s Harbin.China’s annual Ice and Snow Festival, with     1     (it) fairy-tale ice sculptures, opened on Friday, drawing large crowds of tourists who walked carefully over the     2     (slip) ice and snow. This year the ice park covers 810, 000 square meters with 250, 000 cubic meters of sculptured ice     3     (harvest) from the nearby frozen Songhua River, and lit up at night with colourful lights.

The sculptures, some of     4     were a-few-storey-high, featured Chinese style buildings and bridges, fairy-tale castles, towers and one modeled after Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. All of them left a deep     5     (impress) on the visitors.

The festival’s marketing vice director Sun Zemin told Reuters the average number of people visiting the park daily has increased     6     (significant) to around 30,000 this year. Over the past few days, the festival park     7     (receive) more than 163, 200 people,     8    (generate) 46. 18 million yuan ($6 45 million) in income, nearly six times higher     9     a year ago. That helped draw some 3.05 million tourists to the city during the same period, and Heilongjiang’s Culture and Tourism Department called the tourist boom     10     “ice and snow miracle” in Harbin this winter.

7 . Top 4 Ecotourism Destinations in the World

Travelling often comes with an environmental cost一but by choosing to travel more responsibly and sustainably, you can help to reduce the negative effects of tourism. Here are four destinations that have already signed up to a more sustainable way of life.

Costa Rica

So, you want to escape? Imagine a country that’s one -quarter national park, a place where you could hike in a rainforest in the morning and surf tropical waves in the afternoon. Imagine an adventure Eden where all kinds of unique animals run before your eyes.

That country is Costa Rica Conservation has been developed here since the 1970s, with measures to protect areas, close z00S and reverse deforestation.

About 80% of the Osa Peninsula is protected; much of it is in Corcovado National Park, where visitors can follow guided trips with local groups. Activity options range from rainforest hikes to whale-watching, diving at Isla del Cano and surfing at Cabo Matapalo.

Finland

It’s a nation where 80 percent of the territory is covered by forests Meanwhile, Finland’s air and water is claimed to be the clearest.

The Finish Tourist Board has launched the Sustainable Finland programme to help visitors plan the most eco-friendly travels and engage with nature and local culture, knowing every step of their trip has been looked at from an economical, ecological, social and cultural perspective.

Bhutan

Until 1974, the Kingdom of Bhutan remained closed to tourism. Then one day, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck declared Bhutan open to visitors. Today, only those who have booked guided tours through approved travel agencies can enter Bhutan. Permits are charged at a peak- season nightly rate of ＄250 per person, which includes a 37 percent tax that goes towards improving infrastructure (基础设施) and strengthening the healthcare and the education systems. This strict policy means tourism is controlled, with local life largely untouched by its impact.

Botswana

As one of the most convenient locations to spot the “Big Five”, Botswana’s infrastructure has long been under pressure to meet the demands of the world’s safari (游猎) market. Thankfully, the team at Great Plains Safari has been taking measures to minimize impact and invest in community-based opportunities to help local villages develop. One such measure is a kids’conservation camp, where children are invited to week-long courses to learn about their surroundings, the value of conservation and the role of environmental tourism.

As winter draws in, many flock to the south of China for its warmer climate and great beaches. However, those who are more daring head north looking for snowy adventures in the icy climates of Northeast China.     1     particular, an increasing number of tourists have been drawn to the frosty delights of Harbin, known as the Ice City.

Harbin, whose name is said to originate from a Manchu word that means “a place for drying fishing nets”, sprung up from a small rural     2     (settle) along the Songhua River to become one of the largest cities in Northeast China and capital of Heilongjiang province.

The city flourished with the arrival of the Chinese Eastern Railway,     3     connected it to the outside world, especially the Russian Empire. This paved the way for Harbin’s future development of     4    (it) unique culture where East meets West.

The city is     5     (distinguish) for its ice and snow festivals across the globe. These attract thousands of visitors, with sculptors     6     (travel) from all corners of the world to showcase their talents and a variety of winter-themed activities and sports.

Apart from these festivals, the city has much more to offer, from its     7     (tradition) European-style architecture to its more modern buildings, such as the Harbin Grand Theatre and the city’s most famous landmark, the Saint Sophia Cathedral. The unique cuisine, including Harbin-style smoky-savory red sausage, guo bao rou and kvass, a fermented cereal-based drink, can all     8     (sample) along Zhongyang Street.

While winter may be the best time     9     (visit) Harbin, the city has plenty to offer all year round and its individual charms make it     10     must-see spot no matter the weather.