Kenya and China have huge potential in cooperation in the tourism sector, which would benefit both countries, Kenya's top tourism official said here Tuesday.

"Kenya has unique resources of tourism while China has an eye-catching economic development and vast population, therefore great potential remains to be tapped in tourism cooperation," said Raphael Tuju, Kenyan minister for tourism and information.

Kenya hoped to see more tourists from China, and especially welcomed Chinese business people to invest in Kenya's tourism infrastructure such as hotels, he said at the sidelines of the on-going 15th session of the World Tourism Organization General Assembly that opened here Sunday.

He promised preferential policies for all foreign investors, saying that a Chinese bureau was to be set up shortly in Kenya's Investment Promotion Authority.

Tuju revealed that China would approve Kenya as one of its tour group destinations, a move that would strongly enhance cooperation between the two countries.

"Kenya will open a tourism office in Beijing and ask Kenya Airways to open a direct flight to the Chinese mainland as soon as the issue," Tuju said.

This year marked 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kenya and China, and the minister voiced his conviction that bilateral friendly cooperative ties would be strengthened.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2003)