Xinjiang land port sees surging tourism revenue

URUMQI -- The land port of Horgos in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region saw more than 5 billion yuan ($727.6 million) of tourism revenue in the first half of 2019, up 79.8 percent year on year, according to local authorities.

The land port received more than 3.19 million tourists in the first half of 2019, up 66.3 percent year on year.

"Horgos will develop cross-border tourism, duty-free shopping tourism, and border tourism supported by the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center," said Ma Huanhuan, deputy head of the culture and tourism bureau of Horgos.

The center is the world's first cross-border free-trade zone, which has over 5,000 shops selling commodities from around the world such as food, cosmetics, watches and jewelry.

Horgos was once a busy passage used by traders traveling along the ancient Silk Road. The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has injected new vitality into the land port.