Initiative creates tourism boom

The number of visits by Chinese tourists to Belt and Road countries, as well as trips by tourists from those countries to China, have increased rapidly since the initiative was proposed, industry insiders said.

A survey released recently by tourism company Lvmama found that Chinese tourists made almost three times the number of visits to Belt and Road countries last year as they did in 2015.

The hottest destinations were Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam that are nearby and have high-quality tourism resources, according to the survey.