Cold Harbin a hot tourism destination for holiday

Harbin, Heilongjiang province, a hot tourism destination since winter, welcomed around 10.1 million visitors during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 81.7 percent. It was a record high, according to the city's bureau of culture, broadcasting, TV and tourism.

Total tourism revenue reached 16.42 billion yuan ($2.28 billion), a year-on-year increase of 235.4 percent. Both numbers were records for Harbin during the holiday period.

According to Harbin Taiping International Airport, 4,107 flights landed or took off during the period, with a throughput of 676,000 passenger trips, ranking the first among the four major airports in the Northeast China region.

Among the city's scenic spots, Harbin Ice and Snow World ranked as the most popular. It concluded its winter operating season on Friday.

The park, which combines ice, snow, sound and lights, is in its 25th consecutive year. Visitors can appreciate more than 1,000 artworks made from more than 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow.

During its 61 operating days this season, the venue received 2.71 million visitors and showcased the unique charm of its ice and snow fairytale world to tourists from home and abroad.

As temperatures begin to rise, the ice and snow figures in the park must be dismantled to prevent unsafe collapses.

It usually takes around 20 days to finish the work using both manual and mechanical methods. The large ice sculptures are taken down and broken up by excavators.

When the ice begins to melt, workers will clean the remaining debris.