China-Laos land port handles soaring tourists in March

KUNMING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- As of Tuesday, Mohan Port on China's border with Laos had handled some 9,100 inbound and outbound visitors from tour groups in March, up 210 percent compared with the same period of the previous month, said the port.

Since the beginning of this year, the ports in southwest China's Yunnan Province, where Mohan is located, have recorded a substantial increase in their inbound and outbound visitors, driving the tourism growth of the neighboring countries. As of Tuesday, Mohan alone handled a total of over 640,000 inbound and outbound passengers this year, doubling the number of the same period of last year, according to the port.

On Tuesday, Mohan handled more than 900 tourists from over 50 such border tour groups, a record-high daily number since the China-Laos border tourism business was resumed in September 2023.

Since such tour groups often include a large number of elderly citizens, the border inspection station in Mohan has launched a green channel for the elderly tourists, as well as the incorporation of an online pre-declaration system for tour groups to improve the customs clearance efficiency.