Girls in ethnic Yi costumes dance at the airport. Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn

On a normal Saturday afternoon in the departure hall of Beijing Capital International Airport, passengers can be seen hurrying to catch their planes. Suddenly, folk music strikes up and singers dressed in ethnic Miao costumes appear from all corners, carrying wine vessels. They begin to toast passengers as more and more people stop in their tracks. Then a group of girls in ethnic Yi costumes pop out singing and dancing. People watch and dance with them.

It is all part of a program organized by local government to promote tourism in Qianxinan Bouyei and the Miao autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

New routes from Qianxinan to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have been launched and within 40-80 minutes, people can get to Qianxinan and enjoy its natural scenery and diverse ethnic cultures.