URUMQI, March 16 -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday welcomed its first group of foreign tourists with port visas this year.

The group of six tourists from Uzbekistan arrived in the regional capital of Urumqi on Friday night.

At the beginning of the year, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) introduced a set of measures to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China for business, education and tourism.

The issuance of port visas for foreign tour groups this year aims to meet the needs of foreign businesspeople visiting Xinjiang, providing more convenient and flexible services, according to the visa office at Urumqi's international airport port.

Xinjiang regional entry-and-exit management authorities have said they will make good use of existing facilitative measures, and provide convenient application processes for foreign nationals seeking urgent port visas or residence permits to undertake visits, exchanges, business cooperation, investment, entrepreneurship or personal affairs in Xinjiang.