KASHGAR: A total of 18 tourism industry insiders from Kashgar set off on a five day visit to Pakistan on Thursday.
This is the first outbound tourism team from Kashgar invited by the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP). They traveled to Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan via Khunjerab port in Xinjiang, according to Gwadar Pro.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of tourists to Kashgar has risen sharply. The consumption enthusiasm of domestic tourists has extended to overseas destinations, and Kashgar is also attracting an increasing number of international tourists.
According to the statistics from the Khunjerab entry-exit border checkpoint, since the port opened on April 1 this year, the number of entry-exit passengers has been steadily increasing, surpassing 5,000 people, marking a 454% increase.
Out of these, 246 passengers traveled to Pakistan and other South and Central Asian countries, with 69% being Chinese citizens and 31% foreign citizens.
During the visit, the delegation will hold discussions with their counterparts from TAAP and related tourism enterprises in Pakistan, laying a solid foundation for the future regular promotion of China-Pakistan entry-exit tourism market cooperation.
Ma Jiong, one of the organizers of this visit, stated that the delegation will assess the tourist reception capacity of northern cities in Pakistan from six perspectives: food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment. They aim to develop tourist routes suitable for ordinary tourists.
