Annual “Blue Pearl” ice festival was held in Mongolia’s northern province of Khuvsgul on 3-4 March. The festival has been cancelled for last two years  due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day tourism event is held annually since 2000 aims to promote winter tourism.

According to officials, this year’s event attracted over 30,000 domestic and foreign tourists.

Under the motto of “Fresher, Purer,” the festival included many activities such as ice knuckle-bone shooting contest, bicycle and ice skate races, moto sports performance, sled dog race, tug of war, relay race, family contests and horse races.

Mongolia’s tourism sector has been hit severely by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, losing USD 1.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Last month, Mongolia lifted all COVID-19 related restrictions, except for wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.

Mongolian Government has set itself a goal of welcoming 1 million foreign tourists and earning USD 1 billion from tourism in 2024.