Farmers at the border area of Jilin, a province with rich human resources to develop tourism.

The more diverse links are bringing more overseas visitors to Jilin.

The local government said some 2,000 Russians have sightseeing tours every day in Hunchun, a port city that neighbors Russia and the DPRK.

According to the development plan by the local government, the Changchun-Jilin-Tumen River area will grow into a famous spot for snow sports, a summer resort and an international ecological tourism destination by 2020.

The government has planned 10 tourism clusters by taking advantage of local natural landscapes. Songhua Lake, the Changbai Mountains and Lianhua Mountain will anchor the tourist economic zones.

The importance of Jilin province in developing cross-border tourism is also reflected by the second Greater Tumen Initiative Northeast Asia Tourism Forum, an international event that kicked off on Sept 8 in Hunchun city.

Tourism is a rising industry that acts as a bridge connecting different civilizations, cultures and friends, Zhang Anshun, Party secretary of the Yanbian Korean autonomous region, said at the opening ceremony for the forum.

Yanbian has played an increasingly important role in boosting the cooperation and development of Northeast Asian tourism industry, said Zhang, adding that he is "very optimistic about this regional cross-border tourism".

Zhao Xiaojun, head of the Jilin Provincial Tourism Bureau, said he expects to improve infrastructure together with other countries and build several important hubs to support Northeast Asian tourism.