4 . There’s hardly a dull moment in vibrant Istanbul. The city’s historic attractions can be appreciated any time of year, but its atmosphere does change dramatically with the seasons, and accommodation prices vary accordingly. Here are our picks for the best times to enjoy Turkey’s largest city.

June to August is best for outdoor dining and concerts in Istanbul. Summer is peak tourism season in Istanbul. Costs for accommodations can be high and lines long at major attractions. The weather is hot and humid, but the sun sparkling off the Bosphorus is glorious, and the outdoor seating at cafes, restaurants and bars makes for a lively urban scene. Concerts, festivals and other events are staged in the open air too.

The shoulder season is best for sightseeing and cultural events. The long, mostly pleasant spring and fall seasons are ideal for seeing the sights and wandering the neighborhoods of Istanbul, a city that rewards exploration by foot. There’s a drop off in tourist crowds, and local urban life is in full swing, including a busy calendar of arts and cultural events.

Istanbul in December? Winter is ideal for travel on a budget. The gray, rainy and chilly winter months aren’t the most appealing time to visit Istanbul, though they do lend the city a certain romantically sad mood. On the plus side, it won’t be difficult or expensive to find accommodations, and Istanbul’s many museums, mosques and other sights provide plenty of indoor activities.

Praised by international media as a “winter wonderland” and “China’s ice city”, the city of Harbin attracted a record number of     1     (visitor) over the New Year’s Day holidays. The city’s     2     (popular) continued after the holiday as the 40th China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off. Tourists from home and abroad     3     (draw) to the city by its grand and exquisite snow and ice sculptures. Among them, the 11 preschool children from Nanning, the subtropical capital city of Guangxi, over 3,000 kilometers away, were surely one of the     4     (high) profile guests.

Their trip, overloaded with cuteness, has become     5     online hit. Aged between 3 and 6 years old and accompanied by three teachers, the kids were affectionately given the nickname “little sugar tangerines (柑橘)” by netizens.     6     (express) gratitude for the great care and hospitality the kids received, Guangxi sent nearly 200 tons of fresh tangerines to Heilongjiang     7     a thank-you gift. The story continued with Harbin’s     8     (send) back more gifts to Guangxi,     9     gradually evolves (演变) to a “gift” and friendship exchange craze sweeping across the country.

More and more regions are joining in the exchanges between the north and south. The wave of exchanges     10     (bring) by the tourism boom in Harbin is a good sign and very encouraging.

6 . Thousands of people waited in line for hours until 10: 30 am for the grand opening of the Haikou International Duty Free City Shopping Complex (建筑群) — the world’s largest stand-alone duty-free facility.

Located near the key transportation center of Haikou along the northern coast of the island province of Hainan, the shopping area covers an area of 280,000 square meters and features more than 800 notable brands, including five global firsts and more than 50 stores with the world’s latest concept designs.

In 2021, about one in two travelers to the tropical island visited duty-free shops and one in six purchased offshore duty-free goods. As a result, duty free sales in Hainan accounted for about half of the province’s tourism revenue of the year.

Chen Lin, 37, from Jinan, Shandong, was visiting Hainan with her family and found herself attracted to all the shopping options. “The newly opened complex provides adequate stocks of latest products. What’s more, like us, tourists can purchase duty-free goods at good prices. With convenience and favorable policy, an increasing number of customers from outside Hainan will be attracted to come here,” Chen said.

The large complex brings local cultural forces to the front. The facility’s architectural shape is based on the begonia (秋海棠) flower and incorporates elements such as Haikou’s natural characteristics and ocean culture.

Han Yamei, 48, a local, visited the shopping complex and was amazed by its numerous brands and creative design. She couldn’t help asking her daughter to take photos of her. Han said the opening will not only bring shoppers a beautiful experience, but also give a boost to the local economy, adding that, “It’s located next to Xinhai Port, which is very convenient for visitors by ship to come and shop.”

Almost 400 Xinjiang scenic spots offer free admission during the Spring Festival

Near four hundred A-class scenic spots in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region offer free admission to travelers during the Spring Festival holidays,     1    February 10 to 24, a move to further embrace the ice and snow tourism boom across China over the upcoming major festival holiday.

Xinjiang also introduced     2    series of high-quality travel routes and key cultural activities during the Spring Festival holidays. During the Spring Festival     3    Lantern Festival,     4    (vary)cities in Xinjiang will host a total of 724 key cultural     5    (event) showcasing local customs, folk traditions, and cultural heritage. There will be 221 tourism-related activities in total.

Local scenic areas have     6    (quick) moved to capitalize on(利用) market trends like the ice and snow boom and continuously launched marketing events     7    (expand) related consumption, attracting consumers from across the country and even globally.

The surge(激增) in ice and snow tourism,     8     started from the New Year holiday, or even earlier, has already brought benefits of consumption     9    (recover) to China, from Harbin in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province to Sanya in South China’s Hainan province.

In the whole year of 2023, tourism in Xinjiang also     10    (achieve) rapid growth. As the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays approach, it is expected that the tourism market nationwide will continue to see a relatively big boom.