Harbin shows tourists its sunny side

The city of Harbin in Northeast China, famous for its winter ice festival, is taking steps to boost its tourist numbers over the summer, a senior local official has said.

Zhang Lixin, director of the publicity department of Harbin, said on Wednesday that the city government is aiming to attract more tourists from both China and abroad in summer, when the number of tourists is lower than it is in winter.

The city is already a top travel destination in winter, with its famous Ice Lantern Festival and the Ice World Wedding Ceremony.

"The Ice Lantern Festival has been held every two years since the 1960s. As a result, the ice carnival has become a calling card for the city," Zhang said at a news conference, with media representatives from around the world gathering in the city to help spread the word of the tourism push. "But it has been only three years since we started to develop the potential of summer tourism in 2009."

Journalists from 14 media outlets from countries such as the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Australia are in Harbin on a five-day tour called "Charming Harbin in summer - Harbin in the eyes of the global media".

The tour, organized by the city government and China Daily, has visited a nature reserve park, two historic churches, and the city's Russian-influenced areas.

The city government hopes the media tour will help promote the city's image and attract more tourists from abroad, Zhang said.

Zhang said Harbin does not get as hot in summer as other Chinese cities and it is a suitable place for tourists to spend their summer vacations.

To make the city a summer vacation destination, the government plans to integrate five festivals from early June to October into an overall project.

The summer festivals, including the Festival of Wetlands, which falls on June 10 every year, the Harbin Beer Festival that started on Tuesday, and the Harbin Summer Music Concert held in early August, are expected to help boost tourism, Zhang said.

In 2010, Harbin was dubbed "Capital of Music" by the United Nations, due to its long history of music education and early introduction of Western music.

The government is building more music infrastructure in the downtown area, including a concert venue, a music hall and an activity center for workers, all of which are to be completed before 2014.

Tourist Zhao Li, visited the Sun Island, a wetland park covering 88 square kilometers in Harbin, on Tuesday and said she was excited to experience such a massive, well-protected wetland.

"This is the first time I have come to Harbin in summer, and I never thought it was so cool here at this season," said Zhao, who traveled from Jinzhou in Northeast China's Liaoning province. "I plan to visit this city with my family next year."