STORY: Port city in China's Xinjiang sees significant increase in exit, entry trips
SHOOTING TIME: April 1, 2024
DATELINE: April 3, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:04
LOCATION: HORGOS, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Horgos Port
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): RAQING HASMUKHAN, Chinese tourist
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MERWAN MAISILI, Chinese tourist
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): MIREY JAYNES, Kazakh tourist from Almaty

STORYLINE:

Horgos, a land port city in China's Xinjiang, has seen a significant increase of exit and entry trips recently.

Data from the local authorities show that during the first quarter of this year, around 220,000 exit and entry trips were made via the port in Horgos, an increase of 211 percent year on year.

This year marks the Kazakhstan tourism year in China, and an agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Kazakhstan went into force late last year.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): RAQING HASMUKHAN, Chinese tourist
"This year marks the Kazakhstan tourism year in China, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to take my wife on a trip to Kazakhstan."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MERWAN MAISILI, Chinese tourist
"I would like to see some beautiful natural scenery and experience the local culture (in Kazakhstan)."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): MIREY JAYNES, Kazakh tourist from Almaty
"After the implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan, traveling to China has become very convenient. I've been in China for a month and have visited Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. The changes in China are significant, and the development is rapid. Next time, I would like to bring my family to see it as well."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Horgos, China.
(XHTV)