China's "Ice City" Harbin in Heilongjiang Province is welcoming tourists from around the globe with hospitality and attentive service during the booming winter tourism season.
To meet the needs of surging tourists, the local transportation authorities opened eight dedicated tourist lines. The sightseeing buses nearly cover all the famous attractions in Harbin. "When passing the scenic spots, the tour buses can stop and give some time for tourists to take photos, enhancing their experience," said Hu Haibin, staff member of a local bus company.
As the 9th Asian Winter Games is approaching, the influx of tourists to Heilongjiang Province is on the rise, with popular destinations like Yabuli and Snow Village entering their peak tourism season.
The railway department has increased their capacity by opening more lines to facilitate the tourists.
"We are a family of four taking the high-speed train to Yabuli for vacation. This is very convenient, and we are really looking forward to this trip to Yabuli," said Sheng Na, a tourist.
Apart from improving transportation, local authorities are also taking measures to impress tourists with warm hospitality during the cold winter.
In tourist attractions such as Central Street, many businesses along the street have prepared hot water for tourists to drink.
"As more people come, we are treating them like guests, allowing them to enjoy the scenery while also feeling the warmth of local people," said Tian Yu, a business owner.
This year, many traditional tourist attractions in Harbin have transformed with new scenes and formats.
A number of innovative restaurants have opened on Central Street to enhance the visitors' experience and boost local business.
Meanwhile, tourists can not only enjoy the magnificent architecture at the Sophia Square, but also watch live performances and interactive light shows.
China's "Ice City" embraces tourists with warm hospitality
China's "Ice City" embraces tourists with warm hospitality
A 25 percent import tariff on all foreign-built vehicles entering the United States has raised serious concerns for manufacturers in South Africa.
Automotive giants like Mercedes and BMW have long used South Africa as a base for global exports -- but those plans may be shifting into reverse gear after the U.S. announced the punitive measures.
"If you take, for example, BMW, 97 percent of the X3 that we are producing in Rosslyn is exported out of the country. We only sell 3 percent in South Africa, and there's a huge number of those vehicles that also go into the U.S. So there are companies in South Africa that are purely here not because they are selling vehicles in South Africa; they are here to produce vehicles for the global market, and it's important for them to remain globally competitive," said Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
U.S. automaker Ford, which has deep roots in South Africa, is also in the crosshairs.
The company recently invested over 300 million U.S. dollars to upgrade its Silverton plant in Pretoria, South Africa, for the production of the world's only plug-in hybrid Ranger, which has just entered production but could face delays or restrictions.
"If an American citizen wants to buy specifically a Ford Ranger that is a plug-in hybrid, they can only place an order in South Africa, nowhere else in the world. So, that means, obviously, the capacity of Ford to be able to produce those vehicles in big volumes is going to be constrained, because Americans are going be looking at another Ford that is produced in another country, or even in the United States," said Mabasa.
South Africa has long enjoyed duty-free automotive exports to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, but that relationship now hangs in the balance.
A sharp shift in U.S. foreign policy threatens to derail an industry that employs thousands and contributes around 5 percent to the country's economy.
"We produce less than 1 percent of global automotive vehicles, so to say. So, in reality, the impact on us is likely to be more disproportionate than those of our peers that produce at the same level. And the risk is actually created -- a concentration risk -- in countries that have greater capacity and are building more; in those countries will be able to absorb some of this," said Parks Tau, South Africa's minister of trade and industry.
Amid growing concerns about overreliance on the U.S. market, Amith Singh, national manager for manufacturing at Nedbank Commercial Bank, emphasized the importance of tapping into regional trade opportunities.
"I think we need to make better use of some of our local agreements, our African continental agreements. How do we leverage that? How do we partner with the government and private sector to start benefiting the countries and the economies aside from the United States? So, those could be the catalyst to drive our localization projects; it could be what we need to drive the African economy as opposed to being completely reliant on the States (United States)," he said.
South Africa is for now standing firm in its decision not to retaliate against steep U.S. import tariffs, set to take effect in just a few days.
Officials in Pretoria acknowledge the challenges posed by the current U.S. administration but are pursuing a diplomatic approach in hopes of maintaining stable relations and preserving the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
US tariffs rock South Africa’s auto industry
