(ECNS) - China's General Administration of Customs is coordinating with various government departments and neighboring countries to explore self-drive tourism along the country's borders, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Bai Shi, deputy chief of the National Office of Port Administration, said pilot self-drive tourism areas will be set up at the borders with Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
The agency will gradually expand the routes in the future, he added.
Bai said there is an increasing interest in self-driven travel due to improved living standards and more private cars in China.
Many Chinese choose to travel by public transportation, such as the rapidly developing high-speed train network, or in groups organized by travel agencies.
A 2014 report showed that 30 percent of Chinese tourists headed overseas wanted to drive themselves on their journeys, he said.
The agency will put in place favorable policies in terms of personnel exchange, manufacturing, logistics and tourism at important border cities and cooperative economic zones, Bai said.
