China approves Brazil, Argentina and Chile as tourist destinations

BEIJING (AFP) - China has added Brazil, Argentina and Chile to its list of approved destinations for group tours.
Travel agencies will be able to organize tours to those countries, all visited by President Hu Jintao this week, after China`s tourism authority has finalized visa procedures and guide issues with them, Xinhua news agency said.
Chinese travellers are expected to be drawn to Brazil`s rainforest, Chile`s volcanoes and Easter island, and Argentina`s Moreno Glacier, it said.
Chinese tourists can only travel to destinations approved by the government, which now cover more than 60 countries. Cuba was approved as a Chinese travelers` destination last year and since September 1 they have been able to go to 27 European countries.
The World Tourism Organization has predicted that China will become the world`s fourth biggest source of tourists by 2020, Xinhua said.
The organization said more than 20 million Chinese travelers went abroad last year, surpassing the number of Japanese travelers for the first time to become the highest from Asia, it said.

11/20/2004 - 05:14 GMT - AFP