Guangdong undertaking yachting project to attract tourists

The Guangdong provincial government plans to build four yacht bases and two international cruise ports in the province by 2020 to attract tourists to the seaside, according to plans released last week.

Two of the yacht bases will be built in Guangzhou, one in Zhuhai and one in Shenzhen, and the cruise ports will be in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Zhuhai is to be made into a "yacht city".

Plans now call for 29 seaside tourism projects to take place in Guangdong in the coming nine years at a total investment of 110.8 billion yuan ($17.38 billion).

And Hong Kong and Macao are to cooperate more on tourism projects. In the yachting industry, authorities are to work on policies concerning customs clearance, yacht-docking locations, the recognition of yacht licenses and yacht driver's licenses and other issues.

As for the tourism industry, the Guangdong government will work with the Hong Kong and Macao SAR governments to eliminate barriers to tourism.

A 144-hour convenient visa policy will be improved and requirements for foreign tourists traveling from Hong Kong and Macao to Guangdong will be relaxed.

Large enterprises in Hong Kong and Macao will be encouraged to set up wholly owned or joint venture travel agencies in Guangdong.

liwenfang@chinadaily.com.cn