Performers and distinguished guests pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the China-Brunei Year of Tourism 2020 in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Jan. 17, 2020. The joint tourism year initiative was officially launched here on Friday evening by high-level officials of China and Brunei to mark the start of a one-year event in tourism cooperation. The two sides will host such activities as exhibitions, forums, training sessions and world cultural heritage presentations throughout the year. (Xinhua/Jeffrey Wong)The opening event of China-Brunei Year of Tourism 2020 also showcased a variety of cultural performances from the two countries.
According to statistics from Brunei government, China has become one of the top source markets for tourist arrivals for Brunei with a recorded number of 43,000 tourist arrivals (July 2019). In 2018, Brunei saw an increase of 21.1 percent with 65,563 tourist arrivals from China in comparison to 2017 with Chinese tourist arrivals of 54,125.
With the launch of the Brunei-China Year of Tourism 2020, together with direct and increased air connectivity between the two countries, such as the newly launched route of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) to Beijing, it is hoped that tourist traffic and economic growth between the two countries will be boosted.
