BEIJING, Aug 17: Pakistan and China have exchanged lists of the approved tour operators and travelling agencies to promote tourism between the two countries.

This will enable the two sides to arrange group tours to each other country for strengthening tourism industry and promoting people-to-people contacts, said a senior official of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

He told APP on Sunday that the Chinese government had allowed its tourism organizations to plan group tours to Pakistan.

This step was taken in pursuance of a pact signed between the two countries during the recent visit of Prime Minister Mir Zafaruallah Khan Jamali to Beijing in May this year.

In a major step to enhance people-to-people contacts and boost tourism, China has already accorded the Authorized Destination Status (ADS) to Pakistan, removing restrictions on its citizens travelling in groups to the country.

An official of Pakistan embassy in Beijing said it was a big development in their bilateral relations and expressed the hope that there would be tremendous increase in the number of visitors to Pakistan in the coming months.

The approved tour operators in Pakistan desiring to initiate business with China can obtain the list of their Chinese counterparts from the Tourism Division or the PTDC.