China's Xinjiang sees tourism rebound in first two months

URUMQI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has seen a steady recovery in tourism since the beginning of this year, thanks largely to booming ice-and-snow tourism.

Xinjiang received a total of 22.3 million visits in January and February, up 10.8 percent year on year, while its tourism revenue grew by 11.6 percent to 16.3 billion yuan (about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars), according to the regional culture and tourism department.

Located in the golden latitudes of ice and snow, Xinjiang is now home to 84 ski resorts and has become a preferred destination for winter sports fans.

To better develop ice-and-snow tourism, the regional authorities have introduced a series of measures in recent years, including improving the quality of ski pistes and upgrading service facilities.

Ski resorts with the top "5S" grading in Xinjiang received 121,800 trips during this year's Spring Festival holiday in late January, an increase of 4.94 percent over last year, raking in around 19.96 million yuan, up 80.16 percent year on year.