Hebei reaped 890 million yuan in tourism revenues during the past weeklong Spring Festival holiday, up 22.5 percent over the same period last year.

More than 2.83 million tourists went to the province during the holiday, which ran from Feb 13 to Feb 19, up 36.1 percent up year-on-year, Hebei-based Yanzhao Evening Paper reported.

The province’s two popular tourist destinations, Qinhuadao and Chengde, saw a sharp increase of tourists. Chengde registered an increase of 135 percent and Qinghuangdao’s tourist numbers doubled.

The boom was triggered by various promotional activities organized by Hebei tourism authorities throughout the province. Nearly 60 scenic spots were free to visitors and 72 offer tickets discounted by more than 80 percent from from Feb. 5 to March 15.

Skiing became the hottest choice during the festival. Four skiing parks in the northern city of Zhangjiakou received 112, 000 visitors and earned more than 49 million yuan.

By Guo Changdong