Beer festival parade on Harbin's central pedestrian street, which today retains much of the architecture of its Russian heritage. [Photo: China Daily]

New strategy

The province's new strategy highlights "integrating tourism with border trade" while placing equal emphasis on tourism development and environmental protection, according to Bo Xiru, director of Heilongjiang's tourism bureau.

Heilongjiang shares a 3,000 km border with Russia. In addition to cross-border business, the province's 25 border cities are also the entry-exit points for inbound and outbound tourists.

As more Russian visitors come to do business in Heilongjiang, an increasing number of Chinese tourists want to visit Russia.

Suifenhe, Heihe, Dongning and Fuyuan are the top cities for both border trade and tourism.

According to Bo, the province released a new tourism development plan early this year to clearly define the industry that balances tourism development with ecological protection.

The guideline requires preservation of the ecosystem and its biodiversity along with protecting the unique geology.