A Cultural Shaanxi Tourism Presentation was held in Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Nov 29 to promote Shaanxi's culture to a delegation from Canada.

Hosted by the Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Development Commission, the event was also aimed at enhancing cultural exchange between the two countries.

Jim Karygiannis, representing the city of Toronto, said that during his 52 visits to China, including six to Xi'an, he was deeply impressed by the ancient city for its cultural heritage and economic and social development.

GaoZhongyin, chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Development Commission, said that Shaanxi, a starting point of the Silk Road, offers an abundance of historic culture and artifacts that attract millions of visitors each year.

The event was held ahead of the "China-Canada Friendship Year" in 2018. Both sides will deepen cooperation by launching premium tourist products and introducing reciprocal tourist policies, said Gao.

The delegation made of over 50 representatives from the Canadian government, enterprises and sports organizations, will be shown around China from Nov 24 to Dec 3; from Nov 27 to 29 they were hosted in Xi'an.

The "China-Canada Friendship Year", designated by the Chinese and Canadian governments, is intended to promote cultural tourism.