Harbin's ice and snow tourism sector is at the forefront in China, according to a recent report released by the China Tourism Academy at the 2023 China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Forum in the capital of Heilongjiang province.
 
As a representative area with a concentration of ice and snow resources, Harbin has passed through the primary stage of serving demand for ice and snow sports, and entered the advanced stage of using those resources to drive urban development, according to the 2023 Harbin Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report.
 
Ice and snow tourism peaked in Harbin in 2019 when the city hosted nearly 23.4 million tourists, who brought in 39.71 billion yuan ($5.79 billion) in revenue, an increase of 11.4 and 17.1 percent respectively on the previous year.
 
According to the 2023 China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report, Harbin holds first place as the most popular winter tourism destination in China.
 
"Harbin has plentiful ice and snow resources, a unique ice and snow culture, and famous associated brands," Zhang Anshun, city Party secretary said at the opening ceremony of the 39th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. "It is a famous ice-snow music and culture city and an 'Olympic Champion City'. It has ranked the first in 'China's Top 10 Ice and Snow Tourism Cities' for five consecutive years, and has been listed in the top 10 of 'China's most sought-after cities by tourists in the world'."
 
The annual festival, a major event for the city, kicked off on Thursday at Harbin Ice and Snow World, welcoming tourists from around the world.
 
"This year marks the 60th anniversary of Harbin's innovative development of traditional ice lantern art and pioneering of modern ice and snow culture," he said. "We will do our best to offer warm, quality services to tourists from home and abroad, so they can enjoy our distinctive ice and snow, and experience a different winter in Harbin."
 
For this winter, Harbin is promoting 12 ice-snow experiences and has launched 10 ice-snow destinations where tourists can enjoy the winter scenery.
 
During the festival, 100 activities will be held, covering ice-snow history, ice-snow tourism, ice-snow culture, ice-snow arts, ice-snow sports, ice-snow trade, ice-snow fashion and ice-snow creative design.
 
As dazzling fireworks burst in the sky following the opening ceremony, residents welcomed their most important event of the winter season.
 
As an important part of the festivities, Harbin Ice and Snow World, an 810,000-square-meter amusement park, officially opened for the 24th consecutive year.
 
At the park, visitors can appreciate 100 sets of sculptures and artwork made of more than 150,000 cubic meters of ice and snow.
 
Tourists can enjoy numerous activities, including sliding down a 500-meter ice slide, the longest built at the park to date.
 
A giant Ferris wheel in the shape of a snowflake has been built to provide a unique experience of the dazzling world after dark.
 
"It's really one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen," Shi Xinhao, a visitor from Suzhou in Jiangsu province said after riding the Ferris wheel. "I was born in Hegang, a city in Heilongjiang, but I have never visited Harbin Ice and Snow World before."