Though tourism industries in these nations have witnessed a rise in Chinese travelers, it is still too early for them to feel optimistic, Dai said.

"As far as I know, these countries reported a year-on-year increase of nearly 30 percent in the number of Chinese visitors last year, but most of the visitors went there for business purposes, not sightseeing."

There are barely any tour guides in Central Asian nations who are able to speak Chinese and only a handful of Chinese travel agencies have itineraries in these countries, he added.

Li Meng, deputy director of the outbound department of China International Travel Service, said his company has no routes to Central Asian countries because very few customers ask about tourism products to those areas, and even fewer end up actually making such a trip.

The relative lack of development in such countries is one factor that has tended to discourage Chinese visitors, as has the local food, which presents a range of flavors that are alien to many tourists.

"However, these countries can make use of these differences in terms of culture and food, presenting them as exotic appeal for foreigners," Dai suggested.

"But the first thing the tourism departments in these nations should do is to create more opportunities and platforms to enable Chinese people to learn about their countries."

Questions:

1. Who is head of the China Tourism Academy?

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