Tourism planning should display the unique features of the local region that may attract tourists. This paper aims to disclose how psychological needs and preferences of tourists affect the tourism planning in black earth region. First, the distribution and features of black earth resources in northeast China, an important black earth region, were analysed. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted among tourists in the black earth region, covering the source, number, basic conditions and

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... ological preferences of the respondents. Through the analysis on the survey results, it is learned that different age groups vary in the choice of tourist destinations and tourism projects; the monthly average income greatly affects the selection of tourism destinations, travel modes, types of travel and duration. Thus, the black earth region is suggested to develop style or team-based tourism projects, extend the industrial chain of tourism in winter and summer, and highlight the unique beauty of black earth resources. The research findings provide a reference for formulation of regional characteristic tourism plans.