Ethnic Mongolian herdsmen stage a lassoing competition in Hulunbuir in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.[Photo provided to China Daily]

They skied on the frozen Songhua River and wandered among Harbin Ice and Snow Amusement World's ice sculptures and lanterns.

The father and son were among the record 1.1 million visitors of the site, said to be the world's largest of its kind, over the 70 days ending on Feb 29.

Liu says this winter saw significant increases in trips in which parents brought children. Southern regions served as primary sources of snow bunnies.

Northeastern destinations, such as Heilongjiang's Yabuli－celebrated for skiing－and Xuexiang, and the Changbai Mountains that span Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, ranked among the most popular, Liu adds.

Heilongjiang visits surged most－by more than a third－during February's weeklong Spring Festival holiday compared with last year's, the provincial tourism authority reports.

Heilongjiang expects 10 to 20 percent annual growth over the next five years, says the tourism authority's deputy director, Hou Wei.

Its Yabuli skiing area's visits surged nearly 68 percent to 84,000 during the festival. Spending leapt almost 130 percent to 44 million yuan ($6.7 million).

Harbin's Sun Island received about 138,000 visits during the holiday.

Heilongjiang's travel authorities attribute the quantitative shifts to qualitative causes.

"Attractions' improvements are a major fuel source for the boom," Hou says.