Harbin winter tourism heats up ahead of games

Winter tourism in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has begun to heat up.

Since early October, searches and bookings for Harbin winter tourism products on various online travel, group-buying and social media platforms have been steadily increasing, more so than during the same period last year, according to a recent Harbin Daily report.

Data from major online services platform Meituan shows that searches for winter activities such as skiing, ice fishing, snow hiking, and aurora and rime viewing in areas around China have increased by 72 percent. Among them, Harbin has the highest search volume, with attractions such as Harbin Ice and Snow World, Harbin Ice Wonderland and the Yabuli Ski Resort dominating interest.

Hotels and guesthouses in Harbin have already begun preparing for guests to ensure they have a comfortable, enjoyable experience.

Data from the Harbin Market Supervision Bureau shows that in the first nine months of this year, the number of accommodation providers in the city has increased 198 percent year-on-year.

"Two new hotels located in the north of the Songhua River in Songbei district will open in early November," said Zhang Xinyu, the person in charge of Bochen Chain Hotels. "We have three hotels in the south of the river, and the two new ones are expected to provide our customers with a beautiful view of the Songhua River outside their windows during their stay."

As Harbin is gearing up to host the 9th Asian Winter Games in 2025, Harbin Madieer Group Co is fully leveraging its strengths to provide high-standard service guarantees to tourists across the world, according to the company.

For instance, its Modern Hotel, which is located on Central Avenue, is undergoing renovations and is upgrading its guest rooms to welcome the arrival of the Asian Winter Games and the ice and snow season.

"We have been receiving many phone inquiries recently regarding room booking," said Zhang Jinying, manager of the group's brand promotion department.

"To build a more optimal environment for our customers, we will continue to provide personalized services, such as prioritizing check-in for elderly guests to reduce their waiting time and offering children's books and toys, as well as children's toothbrushes, slippers and baby supplies for families traveling with children to enhance their travel experience.

"For female customers, we have prepared makeup storage boxes, hand jewelry storage bags, waterproof pads, brown sugar water and disposable face towels to enhance their comfort," said Zhang, adding that English explanations about the hotel's history and culture will be provided for foreign tourists.

Despite its name, Modern Hotel boasts a history of over 100 years.

Among the city's scenic spots, Harbin Ice and Snow World, which was recognized in January by Guinness World Records as the world's largest ice and snow park, is the most popular. This winter season, it will be expanded from 810,000 square meters to 1 million sq m.

After 25 consecutive years of operation, the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World will fully integrate Asian Winter Games elements to create a more dazzling park combining ice, snow, sound and lights.

Liu Yuanqi, an English teacher in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said she is already looking forward to the winter holiday and is paying attention to the ticket sales information of the Winter Games.

"During last year's Hangzhou Asian Games, I watched several matches in my city," she said. "This winter, I hope to visit Harbin to enjoy ice and snow, as well as the unique charm of ice and snow sports."