Mongolia holds ice festival to promote winter tourism

STORY: Mongolia holds ice festival to promote winter tourism DATELINE: March 4, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:12 LOCATION: KHATGAL, Mongolia CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the ice festival STORYLINE: Mongolia kicked off an annual ice festival in its Khatgal village of the northern province of Khuvsgul on Thursday. The annual festival called "Blue Pearl" was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The two-day tourism event has been co-organized by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the provincial governor's office since 2000. "The tourism event aims to revive the country's pandemic-hit tourism sector, promote winter tourism, better protect Khuvsgul Lake's ecosystem and increase the income of local residents through tourism. This year's event is expected to attract at least 30,000 domestic and foreign tourists," Sharavdorj Iderbayasgalan, governor of Khuvsgul province, told reporters during the event. Under the motto of "Fresher, Purer," the festival included many activi