Record number of tourists visiting the city this winter

For many Chinese people, Harbin conjures up images of ice and steel, a cold and harsh city.

But this winter, the highly industrialized city has transformed into a warm and welcoming host, attracting a record number of visitors, mostly from southern China.

According to reports, more than 3 million tourists visited Harbin during the three-day New Year period from December 30 to January 1, which is a general tourism index in China, and approximately 5.9 billion It is said to have brought in 14 million Chinese yuan (approximately $830 million) in tourism revenue. Harbin Cultural Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau.

Shanghai resident Zhang Yuying was fascinated by Harbin’s winter festival, she said. But in the end, she said, she fell in love with her residents more than the city’s famous ice sculptures.

Zhang said she booked a taxi on China’s cashless ride-hailing app Didi the day she arrived.

“But after the driver recognized our southern accent, he insisted on giving us a free ride and even offered us a refund,” Zhang said in Chinese (translated by CNBC). “He said he was glad that so many tourists from the south came to Harbin.”

Although she declined the driver’s offer, Chan said the gesture lifted her spirits and set the tone for the rest of the trip.

Harbin’s government website states that “tourists are gods,” a play on the Japanese phrase “guests are gods,” emphasizing how tourists are viewed in the city.

In a letter to residents in December, the city government asked locals to “embrace this overwhelming love, put our guests first and treat them with the utmost respect and friendliness.”

“We will do our best to show you the genuine hospitality of the people of Harbin, whether it’s guiding you around carefully, answering your questions warmly, offering you ginger tea or giving you a ride along the way.”

She said residents are heeding the call. In Harbin’s central street, volunteers handed out hot ginger tea, and some wore signs around their necks offering free travel advice, especially to tourists from southern China.

Pharmacies sold single-dose medications to travelers, and restaurants, catering to Southerners’ penchant for small portions, offered free chopped frozen pears to waiting patrons.

The government also installed carpeting in the underground pedestrian walkway on Central Street to prevent visitors from falling. The move sparked comments on social media, with one local resident saying: “Her mother has lived in Harbin for 60 years and she said this is the first time she has seen something like this.”

“Every industry in Harbin seems to be pivoting to tourism, giving way to tourists at every turn,” Zhang said. “Being a tourist here is like visiting children in someone else’s house, and while the hosts bring the best snacks for the kids, you ask your own kids to get out of the way. ”

All of the travelers interviewed by CNBC said that social media buzz about Harbin influenced their decision to visit Harbin, and many Chinese people are familiar with the nickname “the little tater of the south” given to them by Chinese in the north. He said it gave him even more motivation to travel.

Locals say tourists from China’s milder southern regions tend to be shorter than those from the north and often wear heavy jackets, fur-lined hats and large scarves. Most say they look like potatoes.

“When I first read these words, they seemed somewhat cold, but when you are by my side, [locals] “Once you experience their friendliness, you’ll find their nickname ‘Little Tater’ very endearing,” said Chan.

Harbin’s new nickname among tourists, shortened to “Rbin,” has also spread on Chinese social media, expressing a newfound love for the city.

A larger plan to use social media to promote Harbin and the wider Heilongjiang province may be afoot.

He Jing, director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Culture and Tourism Bureau, told China Central Television that the agency is focusing on using social media “from the beginning of 2023.”

The opening day of Harbin Ice and Snow World, part of a larger festival, on December 18th attracted more than 40,000 visitors.

Due to the overwhelming crowds, many of the park’s attractions required waiting in line for several hours. The most popular attraction, the “Giant Slide,” had to wait in line for about 5 to 6 hours.

Several visitors complained online about the discomfort of waiting in minus 20 degrees Celsius temperatures, with some demanding refunds for their tickets.

The Harbin government apologized in a quickly released letter and vowed to improve wait times, but several travelers told CNBC that long lines remain a problem.

Yuetong Jiang said that when he visited the Ice and Snow World Park in mid-January, the temperature varied between 4 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius, and the average wait time per attraction was two to three hours.

“It’s so cold that I can’t even take my hands out of my coat to take pictures or scroll through my phone,” she says.

Mr. Jiang said he was worried that the waiting time would be wasted, but after the trip, the time spent in line was justified.

“Looking back, the wait times for both attractions flew by in the blink of an eye. When it was over, I felt a sense of happiness, as if the memory of lining up was forgotten,” she said.

But Zhang was fed up with the long lines he saw online. So she decided to visit another ice festival in nearby Changchun, Jilin Province, China.

“I waited in line for about 10 minutes for the most popular giant slide attraction, and ended up riding it three times,” Zhang said.

Harbin’s surge in winter tourism has prompted other Chinese cities to promote their unique attractions on social media, with tourism chiefs and celebrities appearing in online videos to attract tourists.

Wilson Chou, an analyst at Bacui Capital Management, told CNBC that “Chinese travel demand remains high…” [but] Domestic travel is now being chosen as a more cost-effective option. ”

As the Chinese New Year approaches, the surge in tourists to northeastern China shows no signs of slowing down.

According to Trip.com data, the number of cold-weather destinations has increased more than 10 times year-on-year, with northern cities such as Harbin, Mudanjiang, Changchun, and Baishan being particularly popular destinations.