Sino -Vietnam Ocean Tour Flourishing

In the first half of this year, the ship route on the sea from Beihai of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to Ha Long City of Vietnam had received more than 13,000 tourists and as many as 7,554 persons from May to July, chalking up an excess of 200 percent growth compared with the same period last year.

Reports say that this is China's only international ship route which doesn't require passport and visa, except ID card, for people to travel abroad. Since last Spring Festival, the route has entered its peak period of operation. Beginning from July 13, the schedule of two regular passenger ships a week has been changed to one voyage every other day. However, tickets still fall short of demand for most of the regular ships, and passengers have to book tickets for holidays and festivals two months in advance.

It's reported that the tourists preferring to take this route come mainly from the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province in south China, who account for 60 percent of the total. The second largest group of tourists hail from Chengdu, Chongqing and other parts of southwest China, who take up 30 percent. And the rest are tourists from Shanghai, Beijing, Henan and other provinces and cities, who represent the remaining 10 percent.

People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/