Fuhai county received more than 1.7 million tourists last year, with tourism income surpassing 1.03 billion yuan.

The S21 expressway that connects Altay prefecture in the northwest of the region, with Urumqi, the region's capital, has been in service since December 2021 and tourists are able to drive from Urumqi to Fuhai county within three hours.

It is estimated that tourists heading to Fuhai county could rise by 500,000 in 2022, according to Na Yan, director of the county's culture and tourism bureau.

"To fully prepare for this year's winter fishing festival, we have trained staff from the service departments of local restaurants and hotels since July," says Na, adding that recreational activities such as skating, dragon boat racing and snow tubing have also been organized to attract a larger group of visitors to have fun during the winter season, while also creating a celebratory atmosphere for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

To ensure that Ulungur Lake can be sustained over the long term by the natural regenerative power of the environment, the local government has endeavored to increase the lake's capacity over recent years.

The 1,035-square-kilometer freshwater lake, which has more than 20 fish species, is an important aquaculture production base in Xinjiang. A large number of fry are released into the lake every year to guarantee the sustainable development of the lake's ecology, says Wang Zhiling, director of the county's aquaculture development center.

Contact the writers at xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn