(Yicai) June 27 -- The one-year pilot of China and Vietnam to allow tourists to visit the Ban Gioc-Detian Falls, Asia's largest cross-border waterfall, on both sides of the border is igniting new business, Yicai learned from industry insiders.

The mutual pilot of group tours to visit the 70-meter-tall waterfall was launched last September while the two neighboring nations lack a broader visa-free entry policy. 

As of May 12, the number of tourists visiting the world’s fourth-largest cross-border waterfall exceeded 10,000, according to data released by a border checkpoint in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A Vietnamese tourist said to Yicai that she paid VND790,000 (USD31) to join a one-day tour starting from Vietnam’s Cao Bang province, affordable for the local working class.

The establishment of the visa-free zone has created new jobs for residents living close to the border.

A Vietnamese guide told Yicai that the travel agency has six Chinese-speaking guides who serve Chinese tourists in Vietnam and help Vietnamese visitors in China.

A manager of another travel agency near the waterfall said the company is planning to increase the number of cross-border tours to explore more renowned tourist attractions in China and Vietnam.

Vietnamese tours to China tend to use the border checkpoints of Dongxing, Youyiguan, and Longbang and cost between VND3 million and VND4 million (USD118 to USD157).

An executive in charge of a travel agency named Aza Travel said that the routes are quite novel and their prices are friendly for Vietnamese tourists. "We have found a lot of scenic spots and tasty foods which are suitable for Vietnamese people, and they have satisfied tourists’ demand for taking photos to memorize their moments here, as well as shopping."

An increasing number of Vietnamese tourists are expected to visit China's Yunnan province as the southwestern province kicked off the first route targeting Vietnamese tourists on May 24. The first train carried 170 tourists who went to Lijiang, known for the Tiger Leaping Gorge, during their seven-day trip.

More Chinese people go to Vietnam than vice versa despite China's slow tourism recovery. Last year, Vietnam welcomed more than 1.7 million Chinese tourists, equaling 30 percent of the total in 2019, preceding the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first four months of this year, Vietnam received nearly 1.25 million Chinese visitors, or almost three-quarters of that of the same period in 2019.

Editor: Emmi Laine