Canada kicked off its winter travel campaign in a ski resort in Beijing over the weekend, joining a host of western countries scrambling for travelers in the world's largest outbound tourism market.

Chinese visitors to Canada have been steadily increasing since China granted the country Approved Destination Status in 2010 nearing 250,000 in the first eight months of this year, up 22.8, according to Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC).

The Commission's campaign at the Nanshan Ski Resort on the northern outskirt of Beijing is clearly timed to boost visitor numbers in winter by touting skiing, sleigh rides and carnivals among other activities on Canada's snowy mountains.

The campaign goes against a traditional preference of visiting warmer places during winter time. Yet Derek Galpin, the CTC's representative in China, expressed confidence in its winter program, while Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said outdoor activities at world-class ski resorts are what the fun is all about.

He also cited Canada's 1.3 million Chinese population as a guarantee to feeling at home travel experience with Chinese food, television and ski intructors. The commission also billed retail complexes in Montreal's underground city as a solution to shopping, which often figures prominently in overseas tour packages for Chinese.

In a display of Canada's seriousness to promote tourism here in China, Canadian Ambassador also skied on the slopes of the Nanshan resort, which runs a partnership with CTC and features a Canadian-themed coffee house in hope of increasing the country's exposure at least among ski-loving Chinese.

In addition to promoting sightseeing and popular itineraries, western countries from Canada to New Zealand reach out to Chinese travelers in tailored campaigns, highlighting strong food safety supported by rigid regulation and traceability programs, as well as an untainted natural environment - all the sore points among an Chinese public with rising demand for quality of life.

An April report by China Tourism Academy placed China on top of Germany and the United States as the world's largest outbound tourism market in 2012, with 83.18 million Chinese spending 102 billion U.S. dollars overseas.

The report also finds Canada as the most satisfactory destination among Chinese travelers.