China Harbin Emerges as a Winter Tourism Hotspot, Overcoming Challenges

（Source: Financial Times-China Financial News Network Author: Li Danlin）

This #winter, #Harbin, located in the northeast corner of #China, has become a well-deserved focal point. Various video platforms and social media are buzzing with topics about Harbin's innovations and warm hospitality for visitors, making it a hot topic and setting historical records in tourism data.

During the three-day New Year holiday alone, Harbin Airport transported 205,000 passengers, marking a 27% increase from the same period in 2019 and reaching a historic high. The Harbin Railway Bureau sent 1.446 million passengers, also a historical peak. The total number of visitors during the holiday exceeded 3.04 million, generating tourism revenue of 5.914 billion yuan, both reaching historical highs.

Unexpected Surprises

Harbin's cold weather is inherent, being the northernmost provincial capital in China, with winters featuring temperatures often dropping to minus 30 degrees Celsius. The unique climate provides abundant ice and snow resources, turning the city into a spectacular winter wonderland.

However, this winter, Harbin seemed particularly lively. The astonishing achievement of nearly 60 billion yuan in tourism revenue during the New Year holiday indicates the city's vibrancy. Interestingly, Harbin had just experienced a "ticket refund storm."

On December 18, 2023, the iconic Harbin attraction, the Ice and Snow World, opened its doors and faced a peak in visitors. Within just three hours, 40,000 people had made reservations, leading the management to announce a temporary suspension of same-day ticket sales to ensure a quality experience. Despite this, the overwhelming crowd exceeded the venue's capacity, resulting in numerous ticket refunds.

Harbin's official response marked the beginning of a reputation turnaround. Leaders from the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau rushed to supervise the situation, offering refunds to some visitors. On December 19, the Ice and Snow World officially issued an article titled "A Letter to Our Dear Visitors," expressing reflection on service issues and outlining a series of overnight improvements.

With the enthusiastic invitation from local residents and numerous netizens sharing their experiences, Harbin earned its position as the top city in the "2024 Top Ten Cities for Ice and Snow Tourism" released by the China Tourism Research Institute.

Harbin's Unique Cultural Identity

Harbin's cultural identity, combined with its impressive tourism achievements, has garnered attention. The city's diverse cultural blend, influenced by ancient hunting and fishing cultures, the arrival of settlers from the east, the construction of the Middle East Railway, and an influx of foreign immigrants, has created a unique fusion of cultures.

This winter, the Harbin Culture and Tourism Department further explored and showcased the rich local cultural features under widespread online attention. Unique folk activities such as ice harvesting festivals, flag-waving, drumming, and blessing ceremonies, along with the Ewenki people parading with reindeer on Central Avenue and the winter fishing festival, added depth to the image of the "Ice City."

The Enthusiastic "Ice City"

Harbin's winter enthusiasm originated online but was grounded in sincerity. Influenced by positive online sharing, many tourists were drawn to experience Harbin's hospitality. The city's efforts to ensure visitor safety and comfort were evident, including carpeting underground passages on Central Avenue to prevent slips, volunteers offering ginger tea on the streets, and free subway rides between attractions.

Such experiences left a warm impression on visitors, with one tourist stating, "We really like the nickname 'Little Potatoes' (referring to southern tourists) and felt the warm hospitality of northern friends."

This wave of enthusiasm, conveyed through the internet, manifested in various ways, from romantic hot air balloons on the Songhua River to a drone-hung artificial moon above the Sophia Cathedral, and even Northeastern drivers using distinctive accents. Generous citizens offered free rides in luxury cars, and restaurants served delicately plated frozen pears and sweet tofu.

This intimate atmosphere, coupled with continuous internet trends, propelled Harbin tourism to new heights. According to a report by Tongcheng Travel, during the New Year holiday, Harbin's tourism popularity increased by 240%, and the tourism boom is expected to continue into the winter and spring festival holidays.

As Wang Hongxin, Director of the Harbin Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism, emphasized, "Seize the opportunity. Our greatest feature is the ice and snow, turning 'cold resources' into a blend of cultural and tourism 'hot economy,' relying not only on resource development but also on upgrading supporting services."

From "Standing Out Alone" to "Blooming Everywhere"

The tourism boom quickly spread throughout the entire city, stimulating various sectors such as local agricultural markets, shopping malls, supermarkets, automotive, appliances, catering, accommodation, and e-commerce. Accommodation and catering industry revenue increased by 129.4% year-on-year.

Local specialty brands also flourished, taking advantage of this rare opportunity. For example, the sale of MaDiEr ice pops reached 100,000 units in three days, and Wudashan's flagship store on Central Avenue adopted Northeastern-style small padded jackets to attract tourists for photo opportunities. Fuerjia capitalized on the Harbin Ice and Snow World by creating "Fuerjia Gift Box" and "Fuerjia Crystal Ball" themed ice sculptures for brand promotion.

What is even more noteworthy is that Harbin's "going viral" has brought new ideas and injected vitality into the entire Northeast region. As Liu Yanping, Director of the City and Real Estate Economic Research Office at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Finance and Strategy, pointed out, Harbin's tourism success is not accidental and serves as encouragement and inspiration for other cities in the Northeast. It is a clear signal of the region's accelerated transformation, economic revival, and return to the forefront of the times.

As a blogger aptly put it, "Harbin's mission is to speak for the Northeast and its people."

#Translate by #AI