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HARBIN, China, Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The 47th Harbin Ice Lantern Fair recently kicked off in the northern Chinese

city of Harbin. The event features about 270 groups of ice sculptures scattered

across an area of six hectares. In addition to lifelike ice sculptures, the

venue also offers interactive amusement programs such as ancient

sailboat-shaped slides, octopus-shaped slides, and a clown labyrinth. They're

not only for sightseeing, but also enable tourists to enjoy a thrilling

experience on ice.

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Simultaneously, the month-long 2021 Harbin Ice and Snow Expo was moved online

for the first time with the help of new technologies such as 5G, big data and

cloud computing. The expo includes six exhibition zones to respectively display

ice and snow equipment, apparel, auxiliaries, ice sculpture tools, ice and snow

tourism, and food for cold regions. Companies and audiences from around the

world can view the expo and interact with exhibitors online. The expo is

committed to provide a platform for those engaged in the ice and snow industry

to carry out economic cooperation and exchange, enhance tourists' confidence in

winter tourism amidst the pandemic, and inject new momentum into the

development of the ice and snow economy. It also marks a new attempt made by

the "Ice City" of Harbin to integrate its unique ice and snow resources with

the digital economy.

As the provincial capital with the highest latitude in China, Harbin has a

long, cold winter, when the temperature may drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius

and cold winds and snowfalls are frequent. Typically, extreme cold weathers may

bring challenges to a city's daily operation and economic development. However,

this isn't the case for Harbin, which has successfully turned this disadvantage

into its iconic advantage. Through measures like expanding domestic and

international markets for its ice and snow resources and presenting travel

programs and theme parks including the Ice and Snow World, the city has boosted

tourism development and turned its cold environment into a driving force for

economic growth.

As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics draw near, Harbin has taken the opportunity

to promote the development of the ice and snow industry at both supply and

demand ends to meet the needs of tourists and travel agencies in the

post-pandemic era. Through combined measures such as reinforcing brand building

and improving tourist service capacity and quality, the city has established a

high-quality ice and snow tourism products supply system.

Technological progress plays an important role in accelerating intelligent

transformation and high-quality development of ice and snow tourism in Harbin.

Since 2015, the Ice and Snow World has offered free Wi-Fi to tourists, and

traditional lamps have been replaced by energy-conserving LED strip lights to

provide better visual effects. Tourists can enjoy hot pot in cold igloos with a

temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius. Such interactions between natural

scenery and personal experiences will promote tourism and stimulate economic

development.

Source:Information Office of the Municipal Government of Harbin