Harbin in northeastern China, is known for its cold winter and amazing ice sculptures (雕塑). Over the years, the city has changed itself into a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from all over the world to its ice and Snow Festival.
According to He Jing, the director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (黑龙江文旅厅), Harbin's hot tourism this year is not just a coincidence (巧合), but the result of a year's careful preparation. Since the beginning of 2023, the city has been developing plans to improve the tourism industry and attract (吸引) attention from all kinds of social media platforms.
She said, "We stand in the shoes of tourists. We pay special attention to the comments (评论) under the videos they post on social media platforms. Whatever the tourists complain about, we take immediate action to improve."
To "save" tourists who are not used to cold weather, Harbin has set up many warm places for them and provides free hot drinks. Local specialty frozen pears are cut into flower shapes to attract tourists. The city even placed a large man-made moon above the Saint Sophia Cathedral for tourists to take fashionable photos.
He Jing said, "We try to do everything well to let them feel comfortable and respected."
Touched by these "small details", tourists share their heartwarming moments online, attracting more tourists to the city and pushing Harbin to the top of hot topics on the Internet.
This warm-hearted and careful service towards tourists attracted over 3 million tourists to Harbin during the 2024 New Year holiday. Harbin rose up to the fifth during the New Year holiday, following Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.