Chinese tourists offered summer charter flights to Europe via Belgian city

One of China's biggest travel operators, the Zhongxin Travel Agency, presented on Friday a charter flight service to Liege, Belgium.

The charter flight travel project, called "Ten Thousand Tourists Charter Flight for Europe", runs from April to October 2015.

It involves three flights a week from Chinese cities Xi'an (on Mondays), Shenyang (Wednesdays) and Tianjin (Saturdays). The first charter flight will take place on April 20, departing from Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.

According to the tour operator, the Chinese are "very excited" to travel to Europe. Tickets for the first flights were sold out, said Wang Zhenyue, of the Zhongxin Travel Agency.

The period between April and October is the peak tourist season in Europe, and charter flight travel plans will "certainly" trigger a new wave of Chinese tourism to Europe, said Wang.

"The arrival of these Chinese charter flights is important both for Liege Airport, and for the Liege region," Steven Verhasselt, the Head of Business Development at the airport, told Xinhua.

According to Verhasselt, the city and the region of Liege are "fantastic" destinations for cultural visits, scenic discoveries, and enjoy a high quality of gastronomy and shopping.

In addition, Belgium shares borders with Germany, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg, which has earned the country the name of "the crossroads of Western Europe."

Chinese tourists can travel to other European countries with a Schengen visa, he continued.