China appeals to LatAm travelers at Argentine tourism fair

China is promoting itself as a top travel destination at this year's International Tourism Fair of Latin America (FIT) in a bid to attract visitors from the region.

"Our goal is to take more Spanish speakers to China," said Feng Jiang, one of the organizers of the China exhibit at the fair, which is currently underway in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires through Tuesday.

As the largest fair of its kind in the region and among the top five worldwide, FIT opened with more than 50 countries presenting their tourism sights, cuisine and cultural attractions.

Argentina's Tourism Minister Gustavo Santos and Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta attended the opening.

Alejandro Jiang from the China pavilion said both China and Latin America have in recent years taken "a huge step" to increase bilateral tourism flows.

While China remains a choice destination for Latin American travelers, accessibility is still an obstacle, he said.

"The biggest problem we have right now is the journey. There aren't many airlines or flights (connecting China and Latin America), and that's another thing we aim to expand," Jiang said.

Andreina Mendoza, an Argentine visitor to the FIT, is the kind of tourist China hopes to attract.

According to Mendoza, her interest in China lies in the fact that "it is a country that has demonstrated a great capacity for development in recent years, and has shown to be one of the most modern (countries)."

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported an increase of 4.7 percent in foreign arrivals in 2018 compared to 2017. More than 30.54 million foreign visitors traveled to China last year, generating 73.1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.