China National Tourism Administration recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China UnionPay to jointly promote cooperation between the tourism bureaus across the country and UnionPay branches.

The agreement was signed in Beijing in the presence of CNTA chairman Shao Qiwei and UnionPay president Su Ning.

Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly launch new tourism payment products, support the release of tourism-themed UnionPay cards inside and outside of China and establish related value-added systems. In the meantime, they will expand UnionPay cards' presence in the tourism sector both in domestic and overseas markets.

According to Shao, the cooperation is in line with the Opinions of the State Council on Accelerating the Development of Tourism Industry and has great growth potential.

Founded in 2002, China UnionPay is the only domestic credit card organization in China. In 2010, the company's overseas network expanded to 104 countries and regions, covering most major countries and regions.