China US Photo:VCG

The Chinese tourism industry is looking forward to an upcoming China-US high-level tourism summit this month, as industry insiders see the event as an opportunity to further promote and widen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and further revive China's inbound and outbound tourism markets.

The 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit is set to be held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province later in May, the Xinhua News Agency reported on April 26.

The Chinese tourism industry on Monday expressed hopes that both countries could use the opportunity to walk in the same direction and improve the convenience of flights and visas, sparking a new boom in people-to-people exchanges.

Visas play a crucial role in facilitating mutual visits and strengthening cultural exchanges, Chinese travel agency Spring Tour said in a statement it sent to the Global Times on Monday. 

The waiting time for visa interview appointments to travel to the US is relatively long, requiring tourists to plan their trips and schedule visa interviews at least five or six months in advance, the company said.

If the US visa process was functioning normally, it would greatly benefit travel throughout the American continent. Essentially, holding a US visa would allow for visa-free entry to many countries in the region, Guan Jian, spokesperson from GZL International Travel Service, told the Global Times.

It is hoped that the China-US Tourism Leadership Summit can promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between China and the US, and facilitate services trade between the two sides, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Efforts should be made to resume flights between China and the US. When it comes to tourism, it is crucial for the US to de-politicize the issue and create a favorable environment for Chinese tourists, Li said.

The summit marks an important event to implement the consensus reached by top leaders of the two countries at the China-US San Francisco summit. It is also the largest and highest-level event organized by the tourism industry in both countries in recent years, officials of the tourism administration of Shaanxi said on May 13, when briefing the press about the preparation work.