YINCHUAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Luo Li never imagined that one day she would be enjoying lamb hotpot and coffee with her family while watching the sunset over golden dunes in the heart of a winter desert.
"We never expected our hometown would have such a high-end desert hotel," said Luo, an architect from Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.
"Watching the sunset while enjoying hotpot in the desert is unforgettable. It's freezing cold outside, but inside we feel warm and comfortable," Luo added.
Once known as a bleak frontier during winter, the vast Tengger Desert is now drawing a growing number of tourists as luxury desert resorts transform the city of Zhongwei, Ningxia into a rising winter getaway.
At Shapotou, China's first national-level holiday resort built around the scenic desert and Yellow River landscapes in Zhongwei, visitors come to sip locally produced wine and capture photos beneath star-filled skies.
Activities like desert off-road riding and a cable crossing over the Yellow River have become popular "hero shot" moments shared widely on social media.
Zhu Wenjun, deputy general manager at the Shapotou Scenic Area Administration, said winter tourism revenue has grown approximately 10 percent annually since 2018, largely driven by the rise of upscale hotels and boutique homestays.
Among the most notable spots is Desert Star Hotel, opened in 2020, where rooms average over 2,400 yuan (about 340 U.S. dollars) per night and frequently sell out in peak seasons. During winter, visitors appreciate the quieter atmosphere and lower prices, according to travelers like Luo.
"Compared with warmer southern China, Zhongwei's desert in winter offers better opportunities for photography. I love its wildness, and the hotel is really amazing," said Zou Mengjie, a travel and fashion blogger from Wuhan, Hubei Province.
New projects such as Tengol Hotel have further raised Zhongwei's profile. The hotel usually closes temporarily in winter to cut operating costs amid a drop in tourist arrivals. But this year, it stays open as bookings surpassed expectations, pushing its annual occupancy rate to 65 percent.
"Each room brings us around 700,000 yuan a year, and we expect to recoup the costs in four years," said Zhang Ying, manager of Tengol Hotel.
Hotels have also tapped into online promotions to drive winter demand. Tengol Hotel generated over 30 million yuan in discounted package sales during this year's "Double 11" and "Double 12" shopping festivals, while Desert Star recorded 120 million yuan in pre-sales on Nov. 11 alone.
To make the winter desert more attractive, these hotels have also rolled out a series of exclusive offerings, including indoor sand therapy, desert expeditions that combine off-roading and hiking, and parent-child outdoor stargazing experiences.
Local authorities are also actively promoting winter tourism. Over 40 events are planned this season, including desert hotpot festivals, drone shows and folk celebrations aimed at attracting visitors.
Infrastructure improvements are expected to further boost tourist flows. The Baotou-Yinchuan high-speed railway, set to open by year-end, will shorten travel times from major cities and support Ningxia's efforts to establish itself as a winter destination.
Tourism growth is reshaping the local economic structure as well.
Zhongwei, a city of about 1.08 million residents, welcomed 70.7 million visitors and generated 43.1 billion yuan in tourism revenue during China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), representing increases of 100.4 percent and 56.8 percent, respectively, compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period, official data shows.
An estimated 70,000 people in Zhongwei are currently engaged in tourism-related jobs, from camel guides and stargazing instructors to homestay managers and cafe owners.
Li Haisheng, 37, opened a cafe in downtown Zhongwei in 2023. Coffee cups are crafted using Zhongwei's intangible cultural heritage techniques. He infuses local goji berries into his coffee, a unique blend popular among customers. He also offers photography services to travelers during peak seasons.
"I returned to Zhongwei because booming high-end hotels created new job opportunities," Li said. "I've grown proud of my hometown and want more people to know about it." ■
