Attracting Chinese tourists is one of the top tasks for the Mongolian province of Uvurkhangai, a local official said on Tuesday.

“Attracting a large number of Chinese tourists is one of the priorities of our province’s tourism sector and is a great way to boost the province’s economic development,” Tumurbat Ariunbold, head of the province’s tourism department, told during a Chinese-Mongolian tourism forum.

The forum on Tuesday was held in Khujirt soum, Uvurkhangai Province as part of a three-day Chinese culture and tourism festival, which is co-organized by the provincial governor’s office, the Chinese Embassy in Mongolia, and the Chinese Cultural Center in Ulaanbaatar. The festival starting on Monday aims to further expand cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries and provide Mongolians with a better understanding of China, the organizers said.

In recent years, Uvurkhangai Province has been striving to attract more foreign tourists by organizing various historical and cultural events, such as the “Silk Road and Kharkhorin” in the Kharkhorin soum. According to officials, the province received more than 50,000 foreign tourists every year and 30 percent of them are from China. The province aims to receive 100,000 foreign tourists a year in its medium-term goal.

Uvurkhangai may be convenient for Chinese tourists, but it is well worth visitors to Mongolia putting on their itineraries – in particular visiting the remarkable Erdene Zuu monastery.