Updated: 2013-06-10 09:50

The governments of Mexico and China are currently drawing up several joint agreements on tourism following the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Mexico, official sources said Sunday.

In a statement, Mexico's Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) said the minister, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, would travel to China in July to continue the negotiations and achieve accords.

In the first quarter of 2013, Mexico received 19,363 Chinese tourists, up by 35.1 percent compared with the same period in 2012.

"We are drawing up a work program on China-Mexico cooperation to increase the bilateral tourism flows," said the minister.

During her work visit, Ruiz Massieu will meet with Chinese authorities and representatives from tourism agencies and airliners with an aim to increase the number of flights and tourist flows and seek tourism investments, both for infrastructure and tourist projects.

The minister noted that Mexico occupies the world's second place, after the United States, in the list of luxury destinations with 16 "Five Diamonds" sites ranked by the American Automobile Association, which certifies hotels and restaurants.