The China-Laos Railway is seeing a surge in cross‑border tourism during the five-day May Day holiday, with passenger traffic through Mohan port up 8.8 percent year on year in the first three days, local border inspection authorities said Monday.
The port processed more than 3,300 border crossings during the first three days of the holiday. A combination of favorable entry policies and the extended holiday period has fueled the steady rise in rail-based cross-border travel, with the port experiencing a smooth but notable holiday peak, authorities said.
The holiday period has seen a clear diversification of cross-border travelers, with a marked increase of foreign nationals. Over the three days, the Mohan railway port recorded nearly 400 foreign travelers from 24 countries and regions. Notably, visa-free foreign arrivals accounted form more than 63 percent, reflecting the continued positive impact of China's visa-free policies.
"I'm taking Chinese railway abroad for the first time, and I feel really proud. The ride was very smooth and fast. I can go from Kunming to Vang Vieng in just one day," said Li Zhonghan, a student at Harbin Institute of Technology.
Several factors are behind the surge. This year marks the first implementation of a primary and secondary school spring break system in Yunnan. The spring break coincides with the May Day holiday to create an extended vacation period, making study tours and family trips a major trend in outbound tourism.
Meanwhile, a range of visa policies, including mutual visa exemptions, China's unilateral visa waivers, the 240-hour visa-free transit, and the 144-hour visa free entry for tour groups from the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, have taken effect successfully, continuing to attract international visitors,
"[We] want to visit Yunnan, a bit everywhere, Sichuan, Meishan, Xi'an and Beijing. The feeling is it's a very interesting culture for us to discover. We want the children to see China with their eyes, to see how it has changed a lot in 14 years [since] last time we came," said French tourist Alexis Paul Drzemczewski.
The travel surge has been further boosted by the ongoing celebration of distinctive Yunnan ethnic festivals, including the Mojiang International Twins Festival and the Dali March Fair. Combined with holiday homecomings by overseas Chinese, these events have pushed border crossing volumes even higher.
To handle the holiday crowds, the Mohan border inspection station has introduced targeted measures to streamline customs clearance procedures. These include pre-registration and pre-screening for large tour groups and real-time passenger flow updates. The station has also added bilingual guidance officers, dedicated lanes and green channels for special-needs travelers, aiming at ensuring safe and efficient customs clearance.
China‑Laos railway sees May Day tourism surge, Mohan port traffic up 8.8 pct
