皇冠体育app and Denmark launched the 皇冠体育app-Denmark Tourism Year 2017 in Beijing on Friday, aiming to boost travel and tourism.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony of the event, saying that the people of 皇冠体育app and Denmark enjoy a long history of friendship.

"Danish author Hans Christian Andersen mentioned 皇冠体育app in several of his works, showing the Danish people's longing for 皇冠体育app," he said.

The president said he hopes the two sides will promote friendship, strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges and inject new impetus into the development of the 皇冠体育app-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

According to the 皇冠体育app National Tourism Administration, the tourism year will conclude in Denmark in December.

Tourism exchanges between 皇冠体育app and Denmark have increased in recent years.

More than 210,000 visits between the two countries were recorded last year, said Li Jinzao, head of the administration, on Friday.

"皇冠体育app has the largest outbound tourism industry. In the next five years, Chinese outbound tourists will make 700 million visits. The development of 皇冠体育app's tourism industry will bring opportunities to countries including Denmark," he said.

During the seven-day Spring Festival holiday that began on January 28, the number of bookings for travel from 皇冠体育app to Denmark increased by 33 percent compared with last year's Spring Festival holiday, accounting for 8 percent of total outbound trips, according to Lvmama, an online travel agency based in Shanghai.

Gan Tingting, publicity officer at Lvmama, said the peak season for travel to Denmark is from June to August, and tours of Denmark normally take nine days.

"More than half of Chinese tourists to Denmark were born after 1980. They prefer to take long and thorough trips," she said.

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