Mongolia Permits Foreign Tourists To Cross Country To China

BARNAUL (Russia), Aug 26 (Bernama) -- For the first time Mongolia permits foreign tourists to cross the country to China with the opening of an international border-crossing station in Khovd, reports Russia's Itar-Tass news agency.

Previously only citizens of China and Mongolia could cross the border.

"Mongolia has taken the measure in the pilot mode. The border checkpoint will operate in the international mode starting from the end of this tourism season," chief of the department for international and interregional relations of the Altai Territory Alexander Zhilin told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

The Altai Territory is one of the parties that initiated this project.

In the previous year at a meeting of the international coordination council "Altai - Our Common House", which brings together Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, the territorial authorities raised the problem on the restricted access to the extreme tourism route "Altai - Golden Mountains".

The tourism route runs through four countries and had gained popularity among European travellers.

However, numerous administrative barriers hamper travelling on this tourist route.

Source: BERNAMA, Malaysian news agency