North Korea and China have reportedly launched a new tourist bus route between two of their cities located at the mouth of the Tumen River.

China's state-run China News Service said Sunday that the travel time of the new route between China's northeastern city of Yanji and North Korea’s Rason City has been reduced to four hours by bus.

The report said that previously, Chinese tourists traveling to Rason City had to transfer to a North Korean bus at the North Korean immigration office, but the new route allows visitors to travel directly to the Rason City without having to change buses.

An official at Yanji City said that the North made the offer of the new route in order to attract more Chinese tourists.

North Korean immigration is known to have also simplified the entry procedures at its offices near the Yalu and Tumen River, areas around the North’s border with China.

A Chinese travel agency, which jointly organized the route with the North, plans to combine the tourist bus with tour packages to Rason City.

The bus currently travels this route from Tuesday to Saturday.