YINCHUAN, Jan. 11 -- Authorities in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have begun the distribution of consumption vouchers as part of their efforts to boost winter tourism.

According to the Ningxia regional department of culture and tourism, the distribution of consumption vouchers, which kicked off on Dec. 28, 2023, will continue until early March.

The vouchers can be used at various top-rated scenic spots, ski resorts and star hotels, among other places in Ningxia.

In addition to the government initiatives, numerous scenic spots across the region have not only launched innovative winter activities but also offered discounts on ticket prices to attract tourists.

According to Jiang Yutao, a staff member at the Helan Mountain cliff painting scenic spot, in the past, visitors who came to the scenic spot in winter could only enjoy cliff paintings and mountain climbing.

However, since 2022, the scenic spot has launched winter tourism activities for visitors, such as ice climbing challenge, Jiang added, noting that these initiatives attracted some 50,000 tourists in 2022, up from 3,000 in 2019.

This year, the scenic spot has prepared large blocks of snow to attract tourists to participate in a snow sculpture competition, Jiang said.