This Hotel In China Has Been Criticized For Showing Polar Bear 'attractions'

JAKARTA - A hotel that bills itself as the world's first 'polar bear hotel' has opened in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China.

The Polar Bear Hotel, part of the Harbin Polarland theme park in the capital Heilongjiang and largest city, Harbin, opens on Friday March 12.

The main attraction of this hotel is, polar bear activity which can be witnessed around the clock from 21 hotel rooms.

"Whether you are eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will accompany you," Harbin Polarland's official WeChat account said in a post.

Photos and videos from Chinese state media show people watching two polar bears in an indoor enclosure featuring artificial ice and small puddles.

Yang Liu, a spokesman for Harbin Polarland, told Reuters the indoor area was only part of the total bear enclosure. The bears are left out if temperature and air quality allow them.

He said interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms range from 1,888 to 2,288 yuan (US $ 290.10 to US $ 351.56) per night was "very high", even though it was fully booked through a trial period.

However, showing polar bears living in cages to attract tourists, drew harsh criticism from among conservationists in the world.

"Polar bears belong to the Arctic, not in zoos or glass cases in aquariums. And certainly not in hotels," Jason Baker, senior vice president of animal rights group PETA told

"Polar bears are active up to 18 hours a day in nature, exploring ranges that can reach thousands of miles, where they enjoy real life," he continued.

In 2016, a shopping mall in the southern city of Guangzhou drew global condemnation after a video of a polar bear, Pizza, circulated on its side in a glass-walled enclosure.

It is known, Harbin Polarland was founded at the end of 2005. This place earns itself as the world's first polar performing arts theme park.