The National Tourism Administration recently approved a local travel agency in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone to operate international tours, the local economic development bureau said on May 13.

Fujian Liang’an Holiday International Travel Agency Co Ltd is the first in Pingtan to be qualified to organize international tours.

To get the green light to run international tours, a travel agency must be at least two years old with no fines for harming tourists’ rights. It must pay a 1.4 million yuan deposit as well as have enough liability insurance before applying to operate international tours. Applications must be submitted to tourism authorities at municipal, provincial and national levels.

Liang’an Holiday being the first travel agency to run international tours is a positive for Pingtan’s tourism industry, as it sets an example for other travel agencies, an employee from the economic development bureau said.

Liang’an Holiday will promote Pingtan’s tourism internationally and enhance marketing to bring more people from overseas to Pingtan, said Wu Xiaoqing, deputy manager of the travel agency.

She added that Liang’an Holiday has built partnerships with hundreds of domestic travel agencies and set up an office in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province.