TOURISM BOOMS IN BORDER REGION

A tour guide poses with Entry and Exit permits for her Chinese tour group members on Sept. 20.

On the morning of Sept. 20,Chen Yao, a native of Guilin in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,was waiting to apply for a Chinese Exit permit for a oneday-tour in Mong Cai, northeast Vietnam, at the border travel application and approval office in Dongxing, a county-level city of Guangxi.

“I have never been abroad,”Chen explained. “I came to Dongxing so I could conveniently access the exotic scenery of Vietnam.”

Nowadays, with increased openness and diversified travel routes, more and more Chinese people have come to Dongxing to experience this unique area along the China-Vietnam border.“Here, people can find colorful ethnic customs and the beauty of the China-Vietnam border river area, so international travel is the best selling point for Dongxing to attract tourists,”said Zhang Zhensheng, deputy director of the Dongxing Tourism Administration (DTA).Zhang added that Dongxing is actively exploring a “Dongxing Mode” to expand tourist routes in both Dongxing and Vietnam.

Popular Border Travel

Border travel is the predominant feature for tourists coming to Dongxing. Using just their ID cards, tourists can complete the application process to obtain their Exit permit.“The procedure of application and approval allows tourists to apply via a travel agency that is qualified to administer border travel applications, submitting application forms to the Public Security Bureau for review,interview, examination and approval,” said Luo Yongye,manager of the border travel application and approval office in Dongxing. The whole process takes about half an hour, after which tourists can receive their Exit permit to go to port customs clearance and enter Vietnam.

A woman surnamed Zhang from Shanxi Province was queueing to submit her application at the border travel application and approval office in Dongxing. Zhang said that the main reason she came to Dongxing was because she would like to take her mother to Vietnam to sightsee.

“I discovered the procedure to apply for an Exit permit is really simple after I consulted the travel agency,” Zhang said.“All I have to do is to give my ID card to the travel agency, fill in a form, take a picture and then wait for my Exit Permit.”

Zhang is one of many tourists who come to Dongxing as a gateway on their way to Vietnam.According to the DTA, every day around 500 tourists join tour groups heading to Vietnam via Dongxing, and that number can reach as high as 3,000 during peak season. As of Sept. 26,2017, the border checkpoint in Dongxing had inspected a combined 68,000 tour groups this year, and the total number of tourists in these groups has increased 17 percent compared to the same period in 2016.

The opening of the border travel application and approval business in Dongxing is one preferential policy that China allows the city to conduct in an aim to develop the tourism industry of border areas.Dongxing can issue Entry and Exit permits for tourists from all across China, making it more convenient for tourists to travel to Vietnam.

Luo said that in 2012, the border travel application and approval business was only open to tourists from Guangxi, before being expanded to all Chinese citizens in 2013. Currently, tourists in Dongxing mainly come from Guangdong, Sichuan and Hunan provinces, and non-Guangxi tourists account for 80 percent of the total.

“I discovered the procedure to apply for an Exit permit is really simple after I consulted the travel agency,” Zhang said. “All I have to do is to give my ID card to the travel agency, fill in a form, take a picture and then wait for my Exit Permit.”

68,000

As of Sept. 26,2017, the border checkpoint in Dongxing had inspected a combined 68,000 tour groups this year, and the total number of tourists in these groups has increased 17 percent compared with the same period in 2016.

5.28million

Between January and July 2017,5.28 million tourists visited Dongxing, up 21.4 percent compared to the same period in 2016.Total tourism consumption was 4.19 billion yuan(US$630 million)during this period,up 36.5 percent compared to the same period in 2016.

“The opening of the border travel application and approval business in Dongxing has also played an important role in developing the tourism industry,promoting urban construction and expanding the opening-up of the border regions,”Luo said.

From August 2012 to September 2017, 540,000 tourists obtained their Entry and Exit permits in Dongxing. The monthly average number of tourists coming to Dongxing was 16,000, directly increasing fiscal revenue by more than 56 million yuan (US$8.45 million). Dongxing’s gross tourism revenue reached more than 4.5 billion yuan (US$680 million) during this period.

“Since 2012, the total number of travel agencies engaged in the border travel business has increased to 21 from the initial five, and the number of people working in the industry has increased from a few hundred to over 5,000,” Luo said. Dongxing has become the largest hub for China-Vietnam border tourism.

Trailblazer of Cross-border Tourism

After years of development,Dongxing has expanded crossborder travelling routes and promoted the development of cross-border self-driving tours,according to Zhang Zhensheng.

Apart from a one-day-tour in Dongxing and Mong Cai,Dongxing expanded crossborder travelling routes to include Guilin (China) and Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) in 2016. In addition, Dongxing has also launched cross-border selfdriving tour services, becoming China’s sole border port city offering such services on a regular basis.Since November 2016, a combined 200 vehicles from both China and Vietnam have participated in cross-border selfdriving tours.

“The procedures for applying for a cross-border self-driving tour require the participant to make a reservation one day in advance,”Zhang Zhensheng said. However,currently the self-driving tour is limited only to Mong Cai. In order to expand self-driving travel routes, Dongxing officials have actively strengthened communication and cooperation with Vietnam, and plan to meet with officials from Vietnam on a regular basis to exchange views on cross-border selfdriving tour procedures, joint law enforcement of crossborder tourism and cross-border tourism publicity. A proposal titled The Planning of Dongxing-Mong Cai Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Zone has already been reviewed and approved by tourism authorities.

“Dongxing has worked to expand cross-border travel routes by launching the construction of Beilun River Scenic Zone, Dongxing Jingdao Scenic Resort and several other tourist resorts,” Zhang Zhensheng said. Meanwhile,Dongxing has also actively promoted the construction of major tourism-related projects such as the headquarters of China-ASEAN self-driving travel and the ASEAN folk culture village, forming a batch of competitive tourism destinations featuring frontier, coastal and ethnic characteristics.

Between January and July 2017, 5.28 million tourists visited Dongxing, up 21.4 percent compared to the same period in 2016. Total tourism consumption was 4.19 billion yuan (US$630 million) during this period, up 36.5 percent compared to the same period in 2016. Both the number of tourists received and gross tourism consumption hit record highs.

“The opening of the New Beilun River Bridge will further improve the crossborder transportation between Dongxing and Mong Cai,alleviating the pressure of port customs clearance and playing an important role in promoting China-Vietnam border travel,”Luo said.