Recently, reporters learned from the Heilongjiang delegation attending the first session of the 12th National People's Congress that in 2012, the Greater Khingan Mountains region received 3.528 million tourists and generated tourism revenue of 3.3 billion yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 18% and 20%, respectively. Today, the Greater Khingan Mountains region has become a new hub for eco-tourism in northern China.
Unique Positioning of Tourism Products
The Greater Khingan Mountains region has initially established a comprehensive tourism industry planning system covering the entire area. With scientific positioning, the Arctic Village focuses on the development goal of an “international tourism village,” striving to develop products such as north-seeking tours, wellness retreats, ice and snow experiences, and conference research. The Jiagedaqi District, aiming to be a “famous eco-tourism city in China,” is further improving supporting facilities at attractions such as the Cold Temperate Botanical Garden, the Ten-Thousand-Mu Seed Orchard, and the Yingshanhong Ski Resort. The Tahe County, centered around the vision of being the “spiritual home of the Oroqen people worldwide,” is deeply developing Oroqen cultural tourism products and encouraging the Oroqen people to maintain their original ethnic customs. The Huma County, with the goal of becoming a “frontier town in China,” is accelerating the development of scenic areas such as the Sanka Taoyuanfeng Scenic Area, the Huashan Scenic Area, and the Huma River Port Scenic Area. The Amuer Forestry Bureau, focusing on the concept of a “Chinese blueberry town,” is developing a Blueberry Hall, a Blueberry Winery, and a thousand-mu blueberry picking base. The Xing’an Town, with the aim of becoming a “Chinese oil town,” is improving attractions such as Gucheng Island and the Yaksa Ancient Battlefield.
High-Quality Development of Scenic Areas and Attractions
In the past two years, the Greater Khingan Mountains region has invested over 1 billion yuan in the construction of the Mohe Airport and the expansion and renovation of the Jiagedaqi Airport. The Mohe Airport now operates eight flights daily in summer and two to four flights daily in winter, creating a booming situation where “tickets are hard to come by.” The Jiagedaqi Airport became operational last June. Nearly 600 million yuan has been invested in the construction of five-star and four-star hotel projects such as the Jinma Hotel in Jiagedaqi, the Mohe International Convention Center, the Arctic Village Wooden Villa VIP Building, and the Suojin Grand Hotel, significantly enhancing reception capacity and service levels. In line with the market demand for premium and personalized experiences, the region is committed to creating top-tier tourism products. Key efforts have been made to comprehensively renovate the Arctic Village Scenic Area, improve the Northern Folk Culture Park, build a wooden sightseeing boardwalk in the Arctic Village, and construct five top domestic wooden villas. The Greater Khingan Mountains Cold Temperate Botanical Garden, with an investment of over 100 million yuan, has been put into operation, filling the gap of a comprehensive cold temperate botanical garden in China. The Tuqiang Nine-Bend Eighteen-Turn Wetland Park, built with an investment of more than 30 million yuan, has taken initial shape. Premium scenic areas are paired with golden travel routes. The Greater Khingan Mountains region has launched five distinctive eco-tourism routes: the Trans-Khingan Mountains – North-Seeking Tour, the Cruise Along the Heilongjiang River – Border River Tour, the Golden Ancient Post Road – Self-Drive Tour, the Experience of Great Ice and Snow – Polar Tour, and the Journey into the Oroqen Culture – Folklore Tour.
All-Round Development of Leisure and Vacation Brands
Currently, tourism brands such as “Arctic Village of China, Summer Retreat for Wellness” and “Arctic of China, Snowy Forest Sea” enjoy widespread recognition domestically. The Greater Khingan Mountains region has successfully organized and hosted 22 Arctic Light Festivals, 4 International Blueberry Festivals and Special Local Products Trade Fairs, the opening ceremony of the early winter skiing month of the 13th Heilongjiang International Ski Festival, and 9 International Ice and Snow Car Rally Cross-Country Races. These events have made the tourism image of the Greater Khingan Mountains region increasingly distinct, earning it authoritative media accolades such as “China’s Best Eco-Tourism Destination,” “China’s Top Three Low-Carbon Tourism Scenic Areas,” “China’s Low-Carbon Tourism Demonstration Zone,” “China’s City with Outstanding Contributions to Low-Carbon Development,” “China’s Hometown of Wild Blueberries,” and “Arctic Village – One of China’s First Featured Landscape Tourism Towns.”