A senior Chinese tourism official hailed the launch of "Night of
China Tourism" in Moscow on Tuesday night, calling it "a great
feast" in the tourism exchanges between China and Russia.
"'Night of China Tourism' highlights the exchanges of tourism
between Russia and China," Shao Qiwei, director of China's National
Tourism Administration, told Xinhua.
The outgoing Tuesday night was only one of a series of
tourism-promotion activities planned for this year in Russia, with
an aim of raising the tourism cooperation of mutual benefit to a
higher level, the director said, adding that it's also an important
event in the Year of China in Russia.
As a response to the launch of the Year of Russia in 2006 in
Beijing, Moscow kicked off the Year of China recently to further
promote bilateral ties and tourism cooperation.
"Bilateral tourism has entered its best period of cooperation in
recent years ... Russia is the country which provides the third
largest number of visitors to China, and the number of Chinese
visitors to Russia is also growing," he said.
The rapid development of a strategic partnership of coordination
between the two countries lays a sound foundation for tourism
exchanges, the enlarged trade cooperation infuses fresh dynamism
into tourism cooperation and the improved transportation brings
much convenience to such cooperation, Shao said.
Le Yucheng, the Chinese minister to Russia, who attended the
launching ceremony, said Russian culture and art are popular in
China, and Russians are getting to know more about China.
Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, director of the Russian Federal Tourism
Bureau, echoed the two Chinese officials, saying both sides are
confident in further promoting the cooperation.
The "Year of China" activities will boost the development of
tourism for both countries, Strzhalkovsky said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2007)
