On December 19 local time, CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao met with Carlos, Mexican Deputy Minister of Tourism in Mexico City during his visit to Mexico. Accompanying him at the meeting was Mr. Qiu Xiaoqi, Chinese Ambassador to Mexico.

 

Li Jinzao said at the meeting that both China and Mexico were influential major tourism destinations in the world, boasting rich tourism resources; and communication between the two countries and their people had been growing over the past years. Last month, tourism authorities of the two countries signed a cooperation plan for 2015-2016 in the presence of state leaders, which was a milestone in tourism cooperation between the two countries. The plan set the direction for our tourism cooperation which constitutes an important part of the friendship between the two sides.

 

Li Jinzao welcomed the effort of the Mexican side to encourage more Mexican tourists to visit China. He suggested making concrete efforts for the Year of Mexican Tourism in China 2015, and expressed the hope that the Mexican side could provide plans for activities to be held under this framework as soon as possible. Li also suggested further efforts to increase tourism visits to each other, expand mutual cooperation in tourism, promote tourism facilitation, streamline visa application procedures, enhance the frequency of direct flights, add Chinese signs at airports, tourism sites, and hotels in Mexico and Spanish signs at the same places in China. Also, he said efforts should be made to promote cooperation between enterprises of the two countries and offer support for investment in tourism projects.

 

Carlos welcomed the Chinese delegation on behalf of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism and thanked China for making concrete efforts to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state and to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries. He gave positive responses to Mr. Li’s suggestions, and said that tourism is important for the development of Mexico, the Mexican side would strive to make it more convenient for Chinese tourists to visit the country, and active efforts were being made to prepare activity plans for the Year of Mexican Tourism in China.

 

Also present at the meeting were heads from CNTA Department of Tourism Promotion and International Liaison and the International Department of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, as well as representatives from major tourism enterprises of both countries.