Beautiful landscape at the border of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand (file photo)

A new tourist route that crosses four countries has been officially introduced to Xishuangbanna in southwestern China’s Yunnan province on the first day of May, opening a new chapter of tourism for the province.

More than 200 tourists from all over the country became the first to experience the new route. It starts from the Lancang River’s Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna and to Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos by both river and road.

The Lancang-Mekong River originates from the Tanggula mountain range in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia before finally entering the South China Sea in Vietnam.

Because of the “Belt and Road” initiative and an economic cooperation mechanism in the Lancang-Mekong sub-region, transnational tourism in the region has become Yunnan’s hottest travel product.

Zhu Chuanchu, who heads the tour agency which organized the new route, said that it not only lets people experience the natural beauty and cultural features of the river, but gives them a chance to understand the “Belt and Road” initiative in participating countries.

“It is an 8-day trip in which tourists will travel 262 kilometers down the river,” Zhu said. Compared with traditional road trips, the river trip is cheaper and safer and it offers tourists more flexibility. The trip’s river-road combination will become a new way to experience cross-border tourism in Yunnan. It is also an extension of visitors’ trips to Yunnan, further promoting the international tourism of Lancang-Mekong River.

Qin Zongmo, Director of the Maritime Safety Administration of Xishuangbanna, said that the navigation on Lancang-Mekong River will be greatly improved after future renovation projects, bringing international shipping to a new level.