More than 120 travel agents from Southeast Asia visited major scenic areas northwest Yunnan’s Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture from October 8 to 9.

Consisting of well-known travel agents from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and others, the ASEAN delegation visited the Pudacuo national park, the Songzanlin temple, the Balagezong scenic area, and the snow-capped mountains of Shika and Meili.

Ms. Chen Meijuan with the Thailand-based Dongyu International Tourist Company said that Diqing has first-class natural and cultural landscapes: snow mountains, grand canyons and ethnic customs. All are appealing to Southeast Asian tourists and popular stars.

The visit by ASEAN travel agents aims to make Shangri-La better known in the tourist market in Southeast Asia, injecting vigor to tourism in the Tibetan prefecture, said an official with Dqing Bureau of Culture and Tourism.  

Within this year, direct flights will link Lijiang City to the ASEAN cities of Bangkok, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, added the official. Since Lijiang neighbors Dqing, the new air routes are also expected to bring into the prefecture more tourists from Southeast Asia.

Reporting by Yang Yong; trans-editing by Wang Shixue