The 3rd JCCT Tourism Working Group Meeting was held in Sanya

On January 13, 2010, The 3rd JCCT Tourism Working Group Meeting was held in Sanya, Hainan. Vice Chairman Zhu Shanzhong of CNTA and Deputy Assistant Chairman Joe ? Scandi, On behalf of tourism working groups of both sides, presided over the meeting.

In line with the spirit of the 20th China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade Meeting held in last October, the meeting reviewed general conditions of tourism cooperation of the two countries in recent years, reported the latest progress of the two nations’ tourism industry, including new moves in terms of policy and laws and regulations, analyzed experience and existing problems during organizing China’s citizen groups to visit America, discussed working plans of tourism working groups of China and US from 2010 to 2011, and also decided upon 5 priority working fields in the next two years, i.e., mutually supporting tourism publicity and promotion, conducting tourism investment cooperation, intensifying information communication, deepening local tourism cooperation, and further propelling smooth progress of organizing China’s citizen groups to visit US. Finally, Zhu Shanzhong and Scandi, respectively on behalf of CNTA and US Department of Commerce, signed the 2010-2011 Working Plan of Tourism Working Groups of Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.

At the conference, Zhu Shanzhong fully acknowledged the friendly cooperative relations established between tourism departments of China and US over the years, and expressed his wish that both sides shall continue with close cooperation, with a view to accelerating mutual development in tourism and achieving mutual benefit. In addition, he introduced in particular The Opinions on Speeding up the Development of the Tourism Industry and Opinions on Building and Developing the Hainan International Tourism Island issued by the Chinese government.

Scandi said that the highly efficient and pragmatic cooperation of tourism departments of China and US have made positive contributions in boosting visits between and deepening mutual understanding of the two peoples. He believes that with the significant attention by the two governments, tourism cooperation of the two nations will achieve a leap-forward development.

On January 12, Zhu Shanzhong met with Scandi and his party. Also present at the meeting were relevant personnel of related departments and offices of CNAT and Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Committee.