BUDAPEST, May 22  -- The China-CEE (Central and Eastern Europe countries) Tourism Coordination Center was inaugurated in Budapest on Thursday at the first ever joint tourism summit organized by China and the Central and Eastern European countries.

Addressing the meeting, Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China's National Tourism Administration reminded the audience that China and relevant CEE countries had agreed to treat the building of ties through tourism as a historical mission. That means, he said, that restrictions had to be jointly dismantled.

Specifically, Shao Qiwei called for non-stop air travel between China and the CEE countries, and simplified visas. He also announced that the relevant CEE countries were being invited to the International Tourism Trade Fair in Shanghai in November.

Peter Szijjarto, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations and Government Commissioner for Hungarian-Chinese relations, called cooperation between China and the CEE the key to the future competitiveness of the CEE, adding that the new tourism coordination center could become a defining feature of cooperation among these countries. He also said that visa procedures would be simplified and speeded up, and that talks were underway to restore non-stop flights. Szijjarto pointed to Hungary's leading role in furthering cooperation between China and the CEE, as demonstrated by the new Hungarian center itself.

Most of the CEE countries do not have independent tourism offices in China, although the number of international tourists from China was 59 million overall in 2013, a number that is rising steadily. Some 7.5 million Chinese tourists visited Europe last year, and 2.5 million of them came to CEE countries.

The CEE's Budapest regional center plans to combine the resources of the CEE to jointly market the countries in China. It also plans to organize joint tours covering combinations of several countries in diversified tour packages, including thematic ones such as culture-centric, adventures in cuisine, and wellness programs.

At this time the Hungarian center is ready to offer information on Hungary, the CEE, and on all of Europe to interested tour organizers in China.

Hungary has been a Chinese Approved Destination Status since 2004. In 2013 Chinese tourists spent 140,000 nights in Hungarian accommodations, up by 9 percent on 2012.

The relevant CEE countries involved in the project are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.