Tourism industry opening on agenda

Beijing will further open its market by allowing a number of wholly foreign-owned companies to provide outbound travel services to customers, a senior official of the city's tourism authority said on Tuesday.

Cao Pengcheng, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, said the commission was awaiting approval after submitting the document to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

According to the plan, once the foreign travel agencies meet certain requirements, they will be qualified to take visitors on outbound travel, which means foreign-invested travel agencies will take a share from China's huge overseas tourist market.