Upsurge in visits to South America boosts tourism ties

While China and countries in South America have established closer and stronger ties in tourism cooperation in recent years, thanks to the Chinese people's increasing spending power on outbound trips, industry insiders have called for additional flights and flight routes as well as streamlined visa procedures for sustainable tourism growth in the future.

Data from travel portal Qunar shows that in the first 10 months of the year, flight bookings from the Chinese mainland to destinations in South America nearly doubled on the platform, compared with the same period last year. Brazil, Argentina and Peru were the top three destinations selected by Chinese travelers, according to the portal.

Fu Yandan, who is in charge of travel agency Tuniu's tourism business in South America, said that most of their customers prefer a monthlong tour product to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, while some also choose to visit the continent of Antarctica after finishing their trip to South America.