Countries in Asia urged to promote tourism
President Xi Jinping proposed joint efforts by Asian countries to promote tourism to boost the economy and enhance friendship during his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilization on Wednesday.
The message was warmly received by attendees at a parallel forum on culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
"During the past Chinese May Day holiday, I told local people in Thailand not to think of booking a hotel because Chinese tourists are everywhere," said Phinij Jarusombat, head of Thai-Chinese Cultural and Relationship Council. "But it's tourism that makes China and Thailand brothers, because it's close to people's daily lives. And more and more Thai people are interested in seeing the ancient Silk Road in recent years, so they travel to Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Development of tourism is mutually beneficial."
