Harbin’s tourism promotional video is played on a billboard in Times Square, New York City. [Photo/MY399.COM]

A video designed to promote the iconic attractions as well as unique experiences of Harbin, “the ice city” in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, is being played on a billboard in Times Square, New York City. It started on Nov 11 and will last until the end of December.

A series of Harbin tourist attractions and activities is vividly presented during the 15-second video, which is played 68 times a day.

The main tourism attractions in Harbin, such as Harbin Ice and Snow World, Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, Hekou Wetland Park and Harbin Grand Theater, are included in the video, giving New Yorkers a taste of Harbin's culture, art, history and people –– a glimpse of the city from a variety of angles.

The promotional video is expected to play an important role in attracting overseas tourists to Harbin in the winter, as its most famous tourism brand, Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, is set to be unveiled on Jan 5, 2018.

This year’s ice and snow festival covers tourism activities in seven categories, including 14 professional winter sports competitions, 44 ice and snow entertainment projects, 13 ice and snow activities targeted at students, and 30 culture activities.

In recent years, Harbin has seen rapid growth in its tourism industry integrating landscapes, fashion, art, sports, and ice and snow activities. Harbin has set a goal to achieve tourism revenues of 160 billion yuan ($24.32 billion) by the end of 2020.