Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) — The first China-Central Asia international tourist train returned to Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, at around 6 p.m. Beijing time on Saturday, the Shaanxi Daily newspaper reported.
A train carrying more than 200 passengers departed from Xi’an to Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 29. It left China via the Khorgos railway checkpoint in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
After the train arrived in Almaty, a Humanitarian and Tourism Exchange Week was held between the cities of Xi’an and Almaty, which included a variety of events, including the demonstration of intangible cultural heritage, promotion of traditional Chinese medicine culture, interaction in the sports field, and exchanges in the field of archaeology.
According to the publication, the launch of the said international tourist train accelerates deepened cooperation between the cities of Xi’an and Almaty, will significantly contribute to the development of tourism in the areas along its route and will give impetus to regional economic cooperation.
Let us recall that 2024 was the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, and 2025 has been declared the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan.
In May 2023, China and Kazakhstan signed an intergovernmental agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements, which officially came into force in November of the same year.
Kazakhstan is becoming a popular destination among Chinese tourists. According to statistics, by the end of 2024, the Chinese tourist flow to this Central Asian country amounted to 655 thousand people-times, which is 78 percent more than the previous year. -0-