Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Northwestern China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region launched ten new travel routes to encourage more visitors from Beijing.

Local tourism players have signed cooperation deals with travel agencies in the capital to draw in Beijing residents with those newly developed routes.

"Ningxia's desert scenery and ancient charm of the Western Xia regime (1038-1227) are both very appealing," says Wu Hongyu from the Beijing-based Yingke travel service.

Yingke will also develop package tours that integrate Ningxia's scenic spots, gourmet food and learning experiences to introduce more visitors to the region, Wu says.

Ningxia has attracted many visitors with its exotic western geography, such as high mountains, the gobi desert, the Great Wall, lakes and prairies.

The region received 31.03 million tourist visits from home and abroad in 2017, up 21.73 percent when compared with the previous year.

Tourism income stood at 27.7 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) last year, a year on year rise of 20.14 percent.

Ningxia is 90-minute flight from Beijing, while the special tourism train from the capital takes about 10 hours.

Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo provided to China Daily]