Harbin, located in northeast China, wants more European tourists

Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province in northeast China, famous for its ice festival and snowy winters, wants to attract as many European tourists as possible.

A delegation from Harbin conveyed this message to Europe at a press conference on Tuesday in Brussels, in the heart of Europe.

The press conference was followed by a photo exhibition and a promotional video presenting the city’s tourist attractions.

This exhibition is the latest in a series of tourism promotions that are part of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year.

« We would like to introduce you to Harbin’s unique all-season tourism resources and the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, » said Yan Honglei, Director of the Harbin City Tourism Development Commission.

As a popular tourist destination, the city received 77.12 million tourists in 2017 and had a turnover of 117 billion yuan ($17 billion), according to Ms. Yan.

« Currently, Harbin has 31 twin cities in 26 countries around the world. We hope to introduce Harbin to more European friends… and to conduct multi-level tourism cooperation, » she said.

Pierre Coenegrachts, Deputy Director General of the Office de Promotion du Tourisme de Wallonie et de Bruxelles, said that Wallonia warmly welcomed the arrival of Chinese tourists, pointing out that some tourism companies had even launched high-quality tailor-made products for Chinese tourists.

« Wallonia is ready to maintain close ties with Asia, in particular with China, » he said.

« We hope to use the opportunities offered by the 2022 Olympic Winter Games to promote direct flights between Belgium and Harbin, » he added.