China-Italy Tourism Cooperation a Win-Win Situation, Says Ambassador

Italy and China are outstanding representatives of eastern and western civilizations. Italy, with its long history and rich cultural heritage, has long been one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists. There is much room for future cooperation in tourism between the two countries, which is a win-win situation, said Ettore Franceso Sequi, Italian Ambassador to China, in an interview with the Global Times.

Among the top European destinations for Chinese travelers in 2018, Italy ranks second after Russia and is far ahead of Britain, France and Germany, according to the 2018 China-Europe Tourism Big Data Report released by the China Tourism Academy and a travel service supplier Huacheng International Travel Co., Ltd.

More and more Chinese tourists choose to travel in Italy as the number of tourist visas issued by the Italian embassy in China in 2018 saw a 15 percent increase year-on-year, according to the Global Times.

Italy has carried out numerous measures to attract Chinese tourists. The visa application procedure has been sped up and an Italian visa can be issued within 36 hours. Besides, Italy has opened 11 more visa centers in China in 2016, enabling Chinese tourists to apply for visas in 15 cities. Italy has also improved its mobile payment system, such as Alipay and WeChat, in order to cater to Chinese tourists. Joint patrolling is a very special cooperation between the two countries. Tourists can see Chinese policemen patrolling with Italian policemen to safeguard public security.

"We always care about the preferences of Chinese tourists and try to meet their needs," said the ambassador. Providing customized travel services has become the consensus of the Italian tourism industry, with travel weddings, pre-wedding travel photography and study tours becoming increasingly popular.

Exchanges and cooperation in the tourism sector have improved mutual knowledge and friendship between the two nations.

China and Italy signed the "Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Strategic Cooperation in Tourism" in Venice in January 2018, at the Opening Ceremony of the EU-China Year of Tourism. And the two countries will jointly launch an experiment of UNESCO sites twinness, including Verona in Italy, the city of Romeo and Juliet, and Hangzhou in China, the city of butterfly lovers, according to Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

China and Italy are win-win partners on the basis of mutual benefit. The two sides will further strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and more measures would be introduced to facilitate personnel flows and promote closer people-to-people ties, said Li Ruiyu, Chinese Ambassador to Italy.