As the 2022 Winter Olympics approach, winter tourism is heating up, especially in the north of the country.

A total of 22 winter tourism routes were unveiled in Beijing in late November.

They feature skiing, hiking and gourmet food, covering popular tourist sites among internet users.

The capital will also host a series of winter sports, and celebrations of Olympic culture and fun experiences from the end of November to mid-February, in a bid to drive winter consumption, according to the local authority.

A winter carnival festival kicked off in late November in Yanqing district, where visitors can enjoy about 60 distinctive winter experiences, including sports and gourmet food prepared by the district authority.

Ski resorts, including the Harbin Ice and Snow World in northernmost Heilongjiang province and the Changbaishan International Resort in Northeast China"s Jilin, have opened and already received many winter sports enthusiasts.

As part of the Winter Olympics venue, Zhangjiakou in Hebei province has increased its ski runs, renovated the snow making pipelines and sterilized snow clothes and tools to ensure visitors enjoy a safe visit as they experience the winter charm.

In the city"s Chongli district, skiers have flocked to local resorts since early November.

"My family comes here almost every year," says Wang Linqian from Beijing.

"My husband and I find it ideal to ski here, and the transportation via high-speed rail is very convenient," Wang says.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the General Administration of Sport have begun to review ski facilities across the country and will accredit those national ski resorts if they meet requirements for outdoor sports, health preservation, leisure and entertainment experiences.

The idea is to offer more options for winter vacationers.

According to the China Tourism Academy, a record 224 million Chinese people participated in ski and skating activities during the 2018-19 winter season, with winter tourism revenue reaching 386 billion yuan ($60 billion).

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued a winter tourism action plan for 2021-23 to speed up winter sport and industry development, increase the supply of winter tourism products and push for high-quality development of the industry.

Provinces have been very responsive to the plan.