At 14:00 on January 16, 2015, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tour Passport was launched in Beijing, with a press conference held at the Beijing Golden Dragon Jianguo Hot Spring Hotel. The event was chaired by Zhao Jie, Secretary-General of the Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Association, and attended by Lu Qingshan, Secretary-General of the Self-Drive and Camping RV Branch of the China Tourism Automobile and Yacht Association, Tu Weidong, Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism, Wang Fengtong, Head of the Market Section of the Miyun County Commission of Tourism, Zeng Tao, Deputy Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Retail Center of Sinopec Beijing Petroleum Branch, Zhang Zhijun, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Hebei Provincial Tourism Bureau, Li Jinping, President of the Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Association, Zhao Jie, Secretary-General of the Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Association, Liu Xiaolong, Director of the Beijing Issuance Office of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tour Passport, Zhou Xianghu, Director of the Tianjin Issuance Office, Zheng Nan, Business Director of Baojia Car Rental, Gao Chao, Senior Business Manager of Sohu Auto, and other leaders and partners.
The tourism industry is gradually establishing its position as a leading sector in the national economy. However, with the development of tourism in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the accelerating process of integrated development, how to more effectively integrate and utilize the region’s abundant tourism resources and further enhance the social and economic benefits of tourism has become an important challenge. The launch of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tour Passport aligns with the nation’s broader development direction, leveraging the tourism resource advantages of the region to promote coordinated, healthy, and rapid growth of tourism across Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.
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Mr. Tu Weidong, Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism, (left), Secretary-General Lu Qingshan (center), and Mr. Zhang Zhijun, Deputy Director of the Hebei Provincial Tourism Administration (right), attended the press conference.
The 2015 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport encountered historic development opportunities as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was elevated to a national strategy. Governments in the three areas identified the tourism industry as a leading sector to drive regional integration. With strong market competitiveness and an excellent reputation, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Tourism Passport was incorporated as a key promotion project by the three governments. Self-drive tourism has broad coverage and wide-ranging impact, and will play an important role in the integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Vigorously promoting the use of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Tourism Passport will integrate tourism resources and information across the three regions through the “passport” as a medium, further consolidating tourism industry elements, stimulating market vitality, popularizing efficient travel modes, and enhancing the travel experience.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
At the meeting, Liu Xiaolong, Director of the Beijing Distribution Office, introduced the services provided by the passport.
“Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport” Boasts Multiple Highlights
Clear Target Users.
The self-drive passport is only available for use by vehicle owners. At tourist attractions, we attract self-drive visitors by offering the vehicle owner either free entry or significant discounts, along with preferential rates for accompanying passengers, encouraging them to visit the scenic spots and thereby increasing revenue for tourism enterprises.
Diverse Service Content.
The passport covers a range of tourism offerings including scenic spots, hotels, resorts, farm stays, fruit picking, hot springs, and specialty cuisine. Passport holders can enjoy discounted rates, providing benefits to vehicle owners.
Wide Coverage of Tourism Enterprises
Since its launch, the passport has been well received by tourism enterprises. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, over 160 free-entry scenic spots have signed on, along with approximately 80 hotels and resorts offering discounts, and the numbers continue to rise.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
At the conference, Mr. Wang Fengtong, Head of the Tourism Division of Miyun County, introduced Miyun’s tourism resources — from its lush mountains and clear waters to its well-developed service facilities — and welcomed self-drive tourists to visit Miyun. Mr. Wang’s vivid presentation earned rounds of applause from the attending guests.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
Liu Xiaolong, Director of the Beijing Distribution Office, and Wang Fengtong, Head of the Market Division of Miyun Tourism Commission, signed a cooperation agreement at the press conference, designating Miyun County as the first district-county partner of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport in Beijing, and fully supporting the promotion of self-drive tourism.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport not only digs deep into tourism resources to provide high-quality services for vehicle owners but also offers additional value-added services, which is one of its core functions. At the event, the Beijing Distribution Office of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport and Baojia Car Rental signed a cooperation agreement to provide Baojia vehicle owners with enhanced self-drive services.
Founded in March 2014 with headquarters in Beijing, Baojia Car Rental is a trusted self-drive car rental community where users can list, discover, and book unique vehicles across the country via website or mobile app. Through the internet, it helps people better share and allocate idle car resources. Regardless of budget or destination within China, users can find a uniquely local driving experience with Baojia.
The “car-sharing model” advocated by Baojia Car Rental originated in the United States and has since gained global popularity. In populous countries like China, per capita social resources are limited — especially in first- and second-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou — where growing car ownership leads to increasingly congested traffic and environmental pressures. Baojia’s car-sharing model offers a new solution.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
Zeng Tao, Retail General Manager of Sinopec Beijing Petroleum Branch, explained that self-drive tourism has become part of the activities offered to Sinopec members. Since launching member self-drive tours in collaboration with Jinxiao Travel, not only have member activities been enriched and family bonds strengthened, but it has also contributed to the economic development of the capital.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
At the conference, the Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Association presented 10,000 sets of self-drive tourism passports to Sinopec Beijing Petroleum Branch members, inviting Sinopec vehicle-owning members to explore the tourism businesses covered by the passport for sightseeing and leisure.
Photo by Shi Ruijiang
Finally, Lu Qingshan, Secretary-General of the Self-Drive Tourism and RV Camping Branch of the China Tourism Vehicle & Ship Association, delivered a concluding speech. He noted that self-drive tourism has broad prospects, and through the self-drive tourism passport, services will be extended to the leisure and vacation sector, representing vast market potential.
To better shoulder the responsibility of advancing tourism collaboration among Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport has accelerated its refinement and innovation in areas such as product design, value-added services, and big data platforms. It is expected that the initially launched Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Self-Drive Tourism Passport will continue to uphold and promote self-drive tourism, forging ahead along a path of innovative concepts.