[InKunming--Sister cities]  Bangladesh set its consulate-general in Kunming on May 21, 2013. From this January on, residents are available to apply visas and related business in the consulate-general, which provides a lot of convenience for local residents, as well as strengthens relationship between Bangladesh and Kunming.

The consulate-general is located at 18-1, Mingguwu Housing Estate, No. 1, 395 Dianchi Road.

Shahnaz Gazi, the consul-general of Bangladesh in Kunming said, scores of Bangladeshi businessmen have come to invest in Kunming in recent years. At the same time, an increasing number of Kunming residents went to Bangledesh for sightseeing or study, contributing to a closer economic relationship betweeen Kunming and Bangladesh.

Except for Yunnan, Bangladesh has set its consulate-generals in many other places in the country, including Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqin, etc.

Tourism: local residents only take one day to apply for visas

In the past, residents who want to go to Bangladesh had to apply for their visas in Beijing, which takes for about one week usually. But after the consulate-general of Bangladesh settled in Kunming, local residents can only spend one day in applying for visas.

The cost for getting a visa, 200 yuan for an ordinary visa and 300 yuan for an urgent visa, is also reduced by half than that in the past, which was used to be 580 yuan or even higher.

Bangladesh has attracted thousands of Chinese tourists to visit every year with a lot of renowned tourist destinations, such as the longest beach in the world and so on. To provide better services for Chinese tourists, many Bangladeshi travel angecies have Chinese tour guides to elimilate language barriers.

Shahnaz Gazi said, Bangladesh has made a lot of efforts to develop its tourism for the past few years, such as building hotels, improving urban transportation, etc.

Kunming is relatively much closer to Bangladesh than other Chinese cities. Taking a direct flight from Kunming to Bangladesh merely takes one and a half hours.

Besides, Bangladesh is not far from Bhutan, India, and Nepal. In the future, local residents may take chances to have self-driving tours around south Asia, as they are available to consult the consulate-general of Bangladesh for travel routes and lodging tips.

Study: local studuents get more convenience to apply for studying abroad

The establishment of Bangladeshi consulate-general in Kunming not only offers an opportunity for local students to study abroad in, but also provides an access for the two countries' colleges to enhance academic communication.

It seems that more and more local residents are interested to study in Bangladesh, especially after the South Asia Expo which was held in Kunming last year.

At present, the consulate-general provides various information about Bangladesh's elite universities and majors. It also introduces some regular agencies to local residents.

Economy: Yunnan enterprises acquire more information to invest in Bangladesh

Nowadays, more and more Yunnan enterprises tend to realize huge potential within Bangladeshi market, as the country boasts its large population and free loose commercial environment.

The Consulate-general of Bangladesh in Kunming will surely help a lot to the companies. According to Shahnaz Gazi, the consulate-general can help enterprises apply for urgent business visas, and introduce some related govenment departments as well as organizations to them.

Shahnaz Gazi said, Kunming is developing into an international tourist city. She looks forward to tourism cooperation between Kunming and Bangladesh in furture.

Publicity: a website will be established to improve cooperation

An official website is under constuction by the consulate-general, and is estimated to be put online at the end of February.

The website is aimed at better publicizing Bangladesh to Kunming residents. According to Shahnaz Gazi, information covering famous tourist destinations, elite universities, and economic investment guides of Bangladesh will be provided to people on the website.

Click here to view Chinese report.

(Editors: Tracy, Cathy Chen)