China, Costa Rica sign MOU on boosting tourism

China and Costa Rica have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on aviation to boost bilateral tourism, Costa Rican Minister of Tourism Allan Flores said Thursday.

He told a press conference that the two countries are moving toward an agreement on establishing air links to sway more Chinese travelers to choose Costa Rica as a destination for new adventures.

Marco Vinicio Ruiz, the Costa Rican ambassador to China, confirmed that a Costa Rican delegation composed of Minister of Tourism Flores and the deputy minister of transport negotiated the agreement and signed the MOU on Wednesday with Li Jiaxiang, director of China's Civil Aviation Administration.

"We had conversations about exploring aviation routes and flights," Ruiz said, "and I wish local tour operators to establish more businesses with their Chinese counterparts."

He said that a country like Costa Rica, which largely depends on tourism, should develop a market like China, the world's second-largest economy, as well as the one marking the fastest growth.

Meanwhile, the government of Costa Rica is working on increasing flexibility in regards to visas issued to Chinese tourists, Ruiz added.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Costa Rica in June, the Latin American country pledged to simplify visa procedure for the Chinese to facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

According to the World Tourism Organization, at 102 billion U.S. dollars, Chinese tourists spent the most worldwide in 2012. Enditem