A photo exhibition at the promotional event Photo: Courtesy of the Network of International Culturalink Entities

A special campaign to promote China's booming ice and snow tourism resources has recently been launched in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and its Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces are known for their unique winter tourism landscapes, and they were the main locations promoted to Dubai locals at the event. 

Through a video titled "Xinjiang is a nice place," Middle Eastern audiences can grasp the beauty of the Kunlun Mountains, the third-tallest mountain range on earth, as well as other sites like the ancient city of Kashgar. Compared to the tourist sites in northeast Chinese cities, the ice and snow landscapes in Xinjiang can often add more "exotic" flavors due to the diversity of its local culture.

As an important part of the ancient Silk Road, Xinjiang boasts not only natural landscapes but also cultural resources that merge different ancient civilizations. 

Yu Jie, deputy director of the regional culture and tourism department, said that local tourism is booming thanks to increased facilities like ports and airports. Yu also added that in recent years, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has launched more diverse and modern programs to attract more visitors. 

Aside from Xinjiang, Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces have also launched promotional videos, revealing unique ice and snow resources like "snow city" Harbin and also the natural hot springs in Anshan, Liaoning province. 

Due to its ice and snow resources, the city of Harbin was the hottest tourist destination in the country in 2023. A total of 135 million of people visited the city last year. 

Mali, a vlogger from Dubai and a fan of Chinese culture, told the Global Times that Harbin is a welcoming city and its unique local culture brings visitors of different cultural contexts together. 

"I received a warm welcome when visiting the city. It is like a home to me and China is also a welcoming country. I hope the friendship between China and the UAE will last forever," the vlogger told the Global Times.

The event was co-launched by organizations such as the Network of International Culturalink Entities, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Liaoning Province.  

Song Wei, deputy director of the Network of International Culturalink Entities, told the Global Times that the event is intended to engage with UAE locals. 

Song said that 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the UAE. It is a great occasion for the two countries to boost mutual exchanges in areas like tourism and the cultural industry, with tremendous support from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Around 500 events will be launched in future to promote exchanges between China and the UAE. Liu Yang, director of the UAE Chinese Cultural Center, said that the tourism resources of China and the UAE are highly different but complementary, and these events are great opportunities for the two countries to seek collaboration. 

Themed as "Nihao! China," which means "Hello, China," the tourism promotional campaign will focus on promoting other Chinese cities and provinces like Beijing, Shanxi Province and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in future. The next overseas destination for the promotional campaign will be Singapore.