More Chinese toursits are choosing Morocco as their travel destinations. [Yang Feiyue / China Daily]

Many Chinese tourists set out on an organized trip to Morocco last week.

A batch of 21 people is the first among 1,000 such tourists, thanks to the organizers Beijing-based World Tourism Cities Federation and the China International Travel Service Co.

The federation will also hold a tourism summit in Morocco's Rabat and Fez cities from Sept 20-23, the organizers said.

The travel program for Chinese tourists is intended to boost tourism to Morocco and encourage more Chinese to get to know that country better, the organizers added.

So far, between 3,000 and 4,000 Chinese tourists visit Morocco every year.

"Morocco is a beautiful country with profound history and culture," Yan Han, deputy secretary-general of the federation, said at a press conference in Beijing.

An important link in the ancient maritime Silk Road, the country is popular among tourists from Europe, especially France. Morocco receives more than 15 million foreign tourists and the country is striving to be counted among the top 20 destinations, he added.

"The Chinese tourism market will be a major focus of Morocco in the future."

Tourism authorities in Morocco are also working to make things easier for Chinese tourists, according to Moroccan officials in Beijing.

Khalid Fathi, chief representative of the Moroccan tourist office in China, said that his government would assist Chinese tourists to get visas in a week's time. The visa procedure would likely be streamlined, he told the press conference.

There are no direct flights between China and Morocco, so popular routes with third countries in between are chosen. The package this year for Chinese tourists includes a stop-over in Dubai.

Trips to Morocco are fully booked for this month and September, Zheng Lijuan, assistant president, China International Travel Service Co, said.

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