The European Chinese Tourism Association was established in Paris

The third from the left is Zhu Wenbin, the president of the Swiss Chinese Tourism Association and the chairman of the Swiss Tiantan Sifang Tourism Group, who has been elected as a member of the first president's team.

French Minister of Handicrafts, Commerce and Tourism Sylvia Piner and the Acting Charge d 'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in France Deng Li took a group photo with the head of the Federation. Photo by Wang Fang

Paris, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- To coordinate the tourism industry chain of Chinese people in Europe and work with tourism institutions in various European countries to promote the healthy development of the Chinese tourism industry in Europe and safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese tourists visiting Europe, the European Chinese Tourism Association was officially established in Paris, France on January 9. This is the largest industry organization in the European Chinese tourism sector, with travel agencies as the main body. Sylvia Pinel, the French Minister of Handicrafts, Commerce and Tourism, was present and delivered a speech.

The Federation is composed of over a hundred Chinese travel agencies from 16 European countries. Chen Mang, the president of the German Chinese Tourism Association, serves as the first president, and Shi Hengyu, the president of the Association of Chinese Travel Agencies in France, is appointed as the first secretary-general.

On the very day of the establishment of the Federation, a tourism summit forum was also held. Participants discussed and exchanged views on two major themes: China's Tourism Law and the safety of Chinese tourists traveling to Europe. Dozens of European tourism suppliers also set up booths at the venue.

It is understood that the European Chinese Tourism Association, with the aim of "coordination and development", will lead Chinese travel agencies in various European countries to enhance internal and external communication, standardize industry standards, safeguard industry interests, integrate scale effects, and cultivate reserve tourism talents, providing comprehensive and in-depth tourism services for Chinese tourists visiting Europe.

The newly appointed president of the United Association, Chen Mang, introduced that benefiting from China's economic development and the improvement of people's living standards, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad has grown rapidly. In the past year, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Europe has exceeded 5 million. However, in recent years, cases of Chinese tourists being robbed or attacked in some tourist attractions in Europe have occurred frequently. The newly established United Association is actively taking the lead in preparing to establish an emergency mechanism for Chinese tourists in the European region. In addition, rectifying the tour guide market and standardizing tour guide services are also important tasks after the establishment of the United Association.