An international cultural tourism promotion conference was held in Hohhot, capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 7, during the ongoing fourth China-Mongolia Expo.

The Tea Road is a trade route that Chinese merchants embarked on 300 years ago, using tea as a medium. It serves as a path of cultural exchange and integration between the people of various countries, as well as a means of establishing friendly ties between the merchants and people of China, Russia, and Mongolia.

In recent years, Inner Mongolia has leveraged its geographical advantage of connecting Russia and Mongolia, continuously deepened its cooperation in international tourism, and established smooth collaborative relationships with various regions in the two countries.

Activities such as China-Russia-Mongolia international self-driving tours, the operation of dedicated tourist trains, and the organization of youth summer camps for 10 consecutive years have further facilitated communication among all three nations.

From January to August, Inner Mongolia received 110,000 Russian visitors and 684,000 Mongolian tourists, accounting for 89 percent of all visitors and 90 percent of all tourists to the province during that period.

Moving forward, Inner Mongolia will continue to deepen cultural and tourism exchanges with Russia and Mongolia. Innovative collaboration models will be explored, contributing to the high-quality construction of a gateway for China's northward opening-up.