"China’s travel agencies suggested we organize tours that would include visits to Crimea and other Russian regions that are of interest to them," he said after the presentation, during which the Black Sea peninsula’s potential was presented in China.

BEIJING, June 19. /TASS/. Chinese travel agencies have put forward a proposal for Crimean officials to arrange trips to the peninsula, which is of considerable interest to Chinese citizens, Crimea’s First Deputy Minister of Resorts and Tourism Igor Kotlyar said in an interview with TASS on Monday.

The issue at hand covers ten-day travel packages, which may include visits to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Crimea, with three days for each destination, for Chinese citizens. There is another option too, namely, five days in Sochi and the same tour timeframe for Crimea. Such projects have been proposed by the Chinese travel agencies,’ he added.

According to Kotlyar, his Chinese counterparts outlined their requests on new tourism products - cuisine, Crimean wines, excursion services, hotel rooms where they could be accommodated and the geographical range of their trips.

"I was pleased to note that Chinese nationals are familiar with Crimea’s resorts. They have some idea of the distinctive features of Crimea’s Black Sea coast," the official said. "I also heard favorable comments from them on the high quality of services in medical tourism one can get in our republic. The issue at hand is, in particular, the treatment of the respiratory tract, and that’s what Crimea’s resorts specialize in, along with the locomotor system (the western part of the peninsula’s specialization), infertility and other diseases. I am sure that our visit will contribute to fostering cooperation with the Chinese in the tourism sphere."

The Crimean delegation visited China to take part in two events - the 14th international tourism exhibition and the Ecology Forum in Guiyang (China’s southern Guizhou province) where there was a special stand dedicated to Crimea.