The First China-Thailand Rally Racing (CTRR) kicked off on Sunday in Xingyi city, capital of Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou province. More than 50 groups of vehicles from more than 20 provinces and cities nationwide will set out from Xingyi, leave China via the Mohan Port of Xishuangbanna in southwest China's Yunnan province and pass through Laos on December 3. They will then travel from mountainous areas in northern Thailand to southern coastal city. The whole journey of about 3,000 kilometers will last 14 days. The first CTRR launched here aims to integrate Xingyi's superior mountainous outdoor sports resources with the spirit of freedom and respect for challenges of the cross-country rally fans, and accelerate the development of Xingyi mountain tourism and outdoor sports industry, said Tian Tao, mayor of Xingyi City, at the departure ceremony of the event. It is understood that Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture has taken mountainous outdoor sports as a driving force for transformation of its tourism industry by giving full play to its advantages in mountain resources and colorful ethnic culture Development of outdoor leisure sports such as cycling, rock climbing, hiking, camping, and hot air ballooning is on the rise in the Prefecture. Rich in high-quality mountain tourism resources, Guizhou is actively promoting the construction of national sports tourism demonstration zones. The CTRR is a new way to explore the development of mountain tourism and outdoor sports industry. It will surely promote integration of culture, sports and tourism, according to Shi Jingyi, an official of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The first CTRR has opened a new chapter of the cross-country rally development in Guizhou, said Zhang Dai, chairman of Beijing-based Fblife.com, hoping that the cross-country rally racing will go out from here to ASEAN, Africa, and Europe. It is worth noting that in 2018, Guizhou received 969 million tourists and achieved total tourism revenue of more than 940 billion yuan, accounting for about 11.3 percent of the province's GDP. It is expected that in 2019, the total tourism revenue of Guizhou and the number of the tourists entering Guizhou will increase by more than 30 percent, respectively. Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/309698.html SOURCE: Xinhua Silk Road Information Service