BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China Economic Information Service (CEIS) of Xinhua News Agency and Ctrip.com on Wednesday jointly released a big data report on tourism under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Beijing.
Based on the big data from Ctrip.com, an online tourism trading platform in China, this report focuses on a detailed analysis of the overall tourism development trends, popular tourist destinations, major sources of Chinese tourists and other aspects.
It aims at reflecting the market trends through real trading data, in a bid to provide a reference and guide for further integration and development of cultural tourism resources in China and the Belt and Road (B&R) countries.
Thanks to BRI, China and B&R countries have been enjoying closer cooperation in tourism in recent years.
Data from Ctrip.com showed that the number of Chinese tourists to B&R countries in 2018 exceeded 30 million, making these countries surpass Japan and the United States to become the largest overseas tourist destination for Chinese tourists.
According to the report, benefiting from the opening of direct flights and favorable visa policies, the number of tourists who booked tours to B&R countries through Ctrip.com, including package tour, independent tour, tailored travel and local guides, rose significantly by 63 percent year on year in 2018.
Rapid development of tourism has given a strong boost to the trade and cultural interactions between China and B&R countries, making tourism an important carrier in pursuing the BRI, said the report.
The report offers detailed data support for international community to get knowledge about the development of international tourism under the initiative before the opening of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, said a source familiar with the report. (Edited by Gu Shanshan)