From Jan 1 to Feb 9, Harbin received a total of 424,000 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 145.1 percent. XINHUA
Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province and host city of the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games, has once again become a tourist hot spot this winter, attracting countless visitors from around the world.
Data from the city's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism shows that from Jan 1 to Feb 9, Harbin received a total of 424,000 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 145.1 percent.
During the recent eight-day Spring Festival holiday, Harbin received around 100,000 inbound tourists, a 144.7 percent increase compared to the previous year.
"Since the start of the ice and snow season, we have been focusing on the needs of tourists, comprehensively upgrading tourism services, and striving to provide a thorough and multilevel service experience for domestic and foreign tourists," Wang Hongxin, director of the bureau said at a news conference on Monday.
"Major tourist attractions such as Harbin Ice and Snow World, Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo and the Siberian Tiger Park have been equipped with Chinese and English signs and guide maps, as well as guides and broadcasting services in multiple languages," said Wang. "Central Street has achieved full coverage of free WiFi, and provides services such as temporary rest areas, ginger tea, hot water and luggage storage for tourists."
Wang noted that there are over 1,300 bank branches in the city that can handle foreign currency exchanges and over 5,800 shops that can accept foreign card payments.
Foreign currency self-service exchange machines have been installed at Harbin Taiping International Airport and the Central Street Tourism Distribution Center.
From Jan 1 to Feb 9, Harbin received a total of 424,000 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 145.1 percent. XINHUA
The Games have driven rapid growth in the ice and snow tourism market in Harbin, and even across the whole province, significantly enhancing Heilongjiang's international influence and visibility.
"Heilongjiang boasts picturesque natural landscapes and abundant ice and snow resources, making it a renowned ice and snow tourism destination, both domestically and internationally," said Qi Bin, deputy director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. "We have developed 10 ice and snow tourism themed routes based on Heilongjiang's unique frontier culture, ice and snow culture, and folk culture, as well as organizing a series of distinctive ice and snow cultural activities."
In recent years, the province's public security department has focused on protecting tourism throughout the seasons and regions, meeting the needs and expectations of tourists, and striving to create a secure tourism environment.
"We have established a specialized command system and formulated tourism protection plans," said Deng Chi, deputy director of the department. "We have enhanced security management in tourist areas and increased police presence at tourist attractions and commercial streets to ensure smooth traffic flow and resolutely guarantee safety."
"During severe weather conditions, we will intensify road traffic management and issue timely alert messages," he said. "We have also implemented various service measures, such as establishing green channels for issuing and replacing identification cards, providing more than 5,000 convenient services for tourists, including locating individuals, lost and found items and rescue assistance."
Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn
