Yunnan:More Accessible to International Visitors

\"The border inspection officers helped us clear customs quickly， and the entire tour group passed through in less than half an hour. Quite convenient，\"remarked Vietnamese guide Ly Thi Nhan， who recently led a 21-member tour group into China viaLijiangSanyi InternationalAirportin Yunnanprovince. Officers atthe Lijiang office of the Yunnan Border Inspection General Station warmly welcomed the group，assisted them in filling out entry cards，and expedited clearance， earning wide appreciation fromthesetravelers.

ThisisoneofseveralmeasuresYunnan'sborder inspectionauthoritieshaveadoptedtoenhanceclearance efficiencyandactively supporttheprovince'seffortstoward greateropennessand high-qualityeconomic development.

Inrecentyears，withtheroll-outofpoliciessuchasthe 240-hour visa-free transitand visa exemptions forASEAN tour groupsenteringXishuangbanna，Yunnan，\"China Travel\"has become a trending topic on overseas social media platforms. Thanks to its unique natural landscapes， diverse ethnic cultures， and pleasantclimate， Yunnan hasbecomea popular destination formanyinternationaltravelers.

Seizing this opportunity， the Yunnan Border Inspection

General Station hasmade comprehensive efforts to ensure safetyandpromotetourism development.Theseefforts havemadeYunnanmoreaccessibletotheworld，thereby contributing to the province's high-level opening-up and qualitydevelopment.

FasterClearance

At13：48 onFebruary 18，the first tourist group to enjoy the144-hourvisa-freepolicyforASEANnationals，ledby guideYuHanla，arrivedattheMohanhighwayportbybus with15travelers.

Thanksto Yu'sadvanced online submissionof the group's entrylist， border inspection officers could swiftlyverify documentsand identities，registerthe information，andstamp entryclearancesuponthe group'sarrival.The entireclearance process was completed in under 15 minutes，ensuringa smooth and efficient entry experience for the travelers.

The significant reduction in clearance time for international tourists is attributed to the launch of the Xishuangbanna ASEAN Visa-Free Tourist Group Information Declaration System. Since the implementation of the 144- hour visa-free policy for ASEAN tourist groups entering Xishuangbanna，thestationhasstreamlinedaseriesof procedures.

Amongthem：additionalinspectionlanes，moreguidance personnel，pre-submission of Foreigner Entry Cards，prepositioned passenger guidance，，dynamic adjustmentof inspection lanes for Chinese and foreign travelers，and dedicated lanes for tour groups.These efforts have increased overall inspection efficiencybyapproximately 30% ，effectively boostingcross-bordertourismbetween YunnanandASEAN countries.

Additionally， the station has continuously strengthened port infrastructure construction and enhanced smart port development.By promptly deploying intelligent facilities such as smart verification counters，expedited inspection lanes， and biometric pre-collection terminals，the port clearance efficiency has significantly improved.

Accordingto reports，theMohanrailwayporthasbecome China's largestASEAN-oriented railway hub，with thehighest customs clearance efficiency and the fastest freight growth rate in the country.Its goal of achieving \"smoother，faster，and better\" operations is steadily being realized.

\"In the morning，I was sipping local soup in Bangkok， andby evening，Iwas takingphotos in traditional Daiattire at Xishuangjing，\" said Yu. The efficient clearance experience hasspedup the journeyforASEAN travelerstickingoff their bucket-list destinations.

PersonalizedBorderServices

OnMarch6，followingthearrivalofFlightDR5o42from BangkokatLijiang Sanyi International Airport，American travelerKevin Thomasbecamethefirstinternationalvisitorto benefitfromtheairport'stransitvisa-freepolicy.Hecompleted entryprocedures on-site by applying for a temporary 24o-hour permitattheLijiang border inspectionoffice.

\"In the past，international traveloftenrequired preparing visaapplicationsmonthsinadvance，butthis24o-hourtransit visa-free policynowallows for on-the-spot processing，\" said Kevin.He notedthatthe streamlinedclearance experience leftastrongimpression on himand helped him gethis China journeyoff toaquickstart.

Inearlysummer，asflowersbloomacrossYunnanand touristsarriveindroves，themainstationhassteppedupefforts to ensure smooth entry procedures for foreign tour groups. Capitalizing on the high passenger volume at port areas， the stationhasactivelypromotedawarenessofvisa-freeinitiatives. Bybuildingclosepartnershipswith tourism authorities and licensed travel agencies，it has continued to refine inspection mechanisms such as pre-screening，pre-registration，and realtime traffic updates.

Inaddition，multipleroundsofreal-world simulations and full-process stress tests for \"visa-free group entry\" scenarioshave been conducted to provide travelers with more personalized and more comfortable services.

As dusk settled over the Lancang River in Jinghong city，Thai travelerKakao Prasith setuphistripod to capture the first glimmer of moonlight over the river-often called the \"Oriental Danube\"—while recordinghis first short video documenting his journey in China.Meanwhile，ina distant Dai-style bamboo house nestled in the rainforest，Lao traveler Somnam Sithong was enjoying a traditional Dai medicinal bath.\"Here，I'velearnedtoidentifydozensofmedicinal plants，\"said Somnam，his eyes shining zest for this area.

Yunnan tourism has gained new prevalence since the roll-out of the visa-free policy for ASEAN tourist groups enteringXishuangbanna.SomeoftheThaitravelwebsites havespecificallylauncheda\"6-DayVisa-Free Tourto Xishuangbanna，\" promoting attractions such asthe Starry NightMarket，Jinuomountain，andSky-reachingTrees.The itineraryalsohighlights ancient townsand villagesalong the route，while showcasingdistinctive ethniccharacteristics.

Theseemingly parallel life paths of these individuals from diverse backgroundsshowcase the unique charm of Yunnan as a place tolive，work，retire，andtraveleachchoice theymake helpsspreadthe Yunnanlifestyleabroad.

The Shining \"Safe China\" Image

ForThaitravelerAwarapanWeerapong，takingroadtrips aloneisnothingnew，but hisrecent cross-border road trip fromBangkoktoChina'sMohandeliveredanunprecedented experience. Along the road， he marveled at the ever-changing viewsoutside.

\"Thecloserwegotto China，themorevibrantthecities became，\"he remarked. \"The visa-free policy isawesome. It cutsdown onboth travelcostsand time on thevisa stuff.\"

Uponarrivingin Xishuangbanna，Awarapan made sure to\"check in\" ata viral hotspot—theSky-reaching Treescenic areainBubangVillage，Mengla Town.\"Travelingin China， I feelincrediblysafe and very happy！\"he said with a smile. Fromsavoring Dai specialties that helped ease the fatigue ofthe journey，to the reassuring presence of border control officers patrolling the area， everything contributed to a strong senseof safety and comfort for visitorslike Awarapan.

DuringtheMayDayholiday，Yunnan'sborderportssaw asurgeincross-borderpassengertraffic.The Yunnan Border Inspection General Station processed nearly 400，0oo entry and exit trips， a 15.8% increase year-on-year.Notably，foreign nationalsaccounted forover 56% ofthetotal，with morethan 220，000 trips—marking a 26% rise compared to the same period lastyear and settinga historic high for international visitor numbers.

Toensure the securityofborder ports，thegeneral station hasfocused on keyareassuchasreal-time port security surveillance，operational riskmanagement，andborder control vulnerabilities.By strengthening joint operational mechanisms，thestationhasactivelycollaboratedwithlocal governments，customsoffices，and port administrationsto establishan integrated frameworkthatcombinesbordercontrol andinspectionwithotheressentialfunctions.Thisinitiative promotes cross-departmental information sharing and joint operations，ensuringborder port safetyinacomprehensive and coordinated manner.

Recently，aalaysiannetizen，YangPiyuan，commnted underasocialmediaaccountcalledthe \"Charming Yunnan：\"： \"Thevisa-freepolicyisamazing！Mydreamistotakeahighspeed train one day from Kuala Lumpur，passing through Malaysia，hailand，andaos，thentravelingalongtheinaLaosRailwayallthewayinto China.\"

（Translated by Wei Dong）