Tourism hots up in ice city

Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has set an ambitious goal to greatly boost its tourism by 2020.

The goal is to achieve in that time an annual tourism revenue of 160 billion yuan ($24 billion).

Last year, the city hosted nearly 65 million tourists, who brought 90.7 billion yuan in revenue, an increase of 15.4 percent from 2014.

Tourism has become a strong engine driving the city's economic growth, local officials said.

A recent list of best summer resorts compiled by the China Institute of City Competitiveness ranked Harbin third in the country. The top two are Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, and Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province.

For years, Harbin has been known for its beautiful winter scenery, especially its ice and snow sculptures, which are considered the best in China, if not in all Asia.

Therefore the icy cold winter turned out to be the hottest season for the city's tourism industry. Both the number of tourists and the income from them in winter account for the majority of the city's annual income.

To change this situation, Harbin has been promoting summer tourism.

With cool weather and a series of carefully designed routes and activities, summer tourism is also catching up.

The city now has 16 forest parks around it, which have been attracting a huge number of tourists each summer.

Located on the northern bank of the Songhua River, the city's famous Sun Island Park is a must-see for many tourists, as a wetland park is rarely seen in the center of a city.

The city's Central Street, which dates back 100 years, is full of exotic flavor.

European style buildings line the street, which has been a bustling business area for a century now.

This summer, long queues can be seen outside the store selling the famous Modern popsicles on Central Street. The popsicle has been a time-honored brand that every visitor to the city should try.

To attract more tourists, the city's cultural bureau has planned more than 100 shows, including musicals, dance pieces and dramas since March. Many renowned foreign orchestras and artists have been invited to perform in Harbin.

Notably, this year's 33rd Harbin Summer Musical Festival will be held from August 6 to 20, with artists from 37 countries and regions taking part.