China’s ‘ice city’ Harbin sees tourism boom

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In Harbin, north-eastern China, the winter tourism economy is thriving thanks to its winter events and activities. Thousands of tourists have flocked to the city to enjoy its ice and snow festival and cultural offerings. Harbin, known for its ice and snow festival, has become one of China’s most sought-after tourist destinations this winter, giving the country a welcome post-pandemic economic boost. Here, an area of 140,000 square meters on the frozen Songhua River has been turned into an ice and snow park, where visitors can enjoy activities from ice skating and sledging, to snowmobile and sleigh rides. According to the local authorities, Harbin, the capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, has welcomed nearly 3.05 million visitors during the 3-day New Year holiday, many drawn by the grand and intricate ice sculptures of its annual Ice and Snow Festival. Both the number of tourists and the amount of tourism revenue surpassed the figures for 2019, marking a historical peak. Data from the city’s commerce department shows a significant growth of 129.4 percent in the accommodation and catering sectors during the period. Many of the tourists here are from southern China, where it rarely snows. “We have experienced the customs and geographical appearances which are very different from where we live,” says Zhu Yandi, a tourist from the country’s capital city of Beijing. “Harbin is like a world of ice and snow, and its temperature is the most attractive to us,” says Gao Yuqing from the east Shandong Province. Various topics related to Harbin have dominated the trending list across different social media platforms too. The city’s tourism department attributed the growth to Harbin’s increasing popularity on social media. The city’s rich Russian-style buildings and the beautiful snow sceneries are two important factors in its appeal. Harbin boasts a great number of Russian, Baroque, and Byzantine-style buildings due to its special history and geographical location. Business is booming in Harbin, with millions of visitors continuing to flock in. This article was provided by The Associated Press.