Highlights of Harbin’s work in 2018, promising 2019 ahead

In 2018, Harbin saw a fruitful year for the development of its tourism economy. The city successfully held a series of well-known cultural and tourism activities, such as the 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. It received a total of 85.67 million domestic and foreign tourists over the year, with overnight tourists staying in the city for an average of three days and per capita consumption exceeding 3,300 yuan, realizing a total tourism revenue of 137.6 billion yuan, up 16.9 percent year-on-year.

Large illuminated buildings made of ice at Harbin Ice and Snow World, attracting thousands of tourists. [Photo/VCG]

In addition, the living standards of residents has been upgraded in both scope and depth. For the living environment, the number of days with good air quality reached 312, 42 days more than the previous year. A total of 420 kilometers of rural roads were built. With a total of 102,200 new jobs created, the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents increased by 6.5 percent. The registered urban unemployment rate was kept at 3.76 percent, 0.54 percentage points below the target. Additionally, the city has helped approximately 60 low-income villages with weak economies out of poverty, with the poverty rate dropping from 0.98 percent to 0.46 percent.