Road trips enliven tourism in Northeast

Tour operators offer travelers new experiences via self-driven vehicle rides

For long, trains, planes or buses have been the preferred modes of transport of travelers in China. Now, there's another option: driving oneself around in four-wheelers, especially for sightseeing jaunts, long weekend getaways, short vacations, so on.

So much so tour operators are drawing up routes and itineraries to cater to this niche segment of road trip-lovers. For example, tourists to northeastern China, where snow and ice attractions abound, can drive along routes featuring hot springs, skiing and other winter pleasures.