Participants at the first Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) tourism forum held in Lisbon Monday called for closer exchanges and cooperation between tourism businesses of the two continents.

They agreed that tourism authorities and travel agencies of ASEM members should increase exchanges to better share information and experience on tourism promotion.

They said dialogue and mutual understanding between tourism enterprises of Asia and Europe should be strengthened so as to further promote cooperation in the tourism industry and its sustained growth.

Liu Jiamin, director of China's office in the World Tourism Organization said China's tourism is developing rapidly with foreign exchange revenue in tourism ranking seventh in the world. In 2005, the number of Chinese citizens traveling abroad stood at 31.02 million and China has become the largest outbound travel market in Asia, she said.

Li Wei, director of the China Yantai Asia-Pacific international trade center, said the ASEM Forum and Exhibition on Tourism Investment and Cooperation will be held on Oct. 19-22 in the coastal city of Yantai, Shandong Province. Until now, more than 100 travel agencies from about 30 countries or regions have signed up to attend the event.

The ASEM, established in 1996, is an informal forum designed to strengthen political and economic links between Asia and Europe.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2006)