Beijing moves to attract more Canadian tourists

Beijing's official tourism agency Friday held a high-level tourism resources show in Montreal, the second biggest city in Canada, to attract more Canadian tourists.

This is the first time for Beijing to hold such an event in Montreal. The show hosted by Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development is bringing a cultural feast in tourism for local people in Montreal.

The event presented customized tours in Beijing. The newly developed travel activities include tourism with themes on traditional Chinese medicine, sports events and Chinese festivals.

According to representatives from Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, local travel agencies in Montreal showed a high interest in these customized tours.

Michel Bourdon, vice president of Tourism Montreal, told Xinhua that he expects a bright future for Montreal tourism, which can be boosted by Chinese tourists.

Bourdon said that Montreal is a city with a long history and good shopping centers, and he believes more Chinese people will come to visit.

"Actually we are open to get close to 100,000 clients and visitors from China, between now and 2017," Bourdon said.

"We know they are looking for luxurious products, five-star, four-star properties. We also know that they are very interested in history," said the official.

According to Zhang Jun, director from Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, Beijing and Montreal will see more and more cooperation in the near future.

Currently, there are eight direct flights between Montreal and Beijing, said Qingfeng Lin, the general manager of the Montreal office of Air China.

With demands constantly rising, there will surely be more flights linking the two cities, said Lin.