Tourism brings new levels of trust - and jobs, too

Tourism is propelling trade and cultural exchanges between China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a report released in April by the China Economic Information Service and online travel agency Ctrip.

Ctrip and the China Economic Information Service, a branch of Xinhua News Agency in Beijing, said 582 million trips were made by international travelers to destinations along Belt and Road routes in 2017, accounting for 44 percent of the international trips that year.

Trips made by Chinese travelers to countries involved in the BRI increased to 27.4 million in 2017 from 15.5 million in 2013, when the initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping, according to the China Tourism Academy.