Tourism between China and the United States has seen significant growth over the past decade, an official said at an ongoing tourism forum in northwest China.

The combined number of tourists from China traveling to the United States and vice versa has exceeded 30 million since the two countries launched a high-level tourism dialogue mechanism in 2007, Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration, said at the China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Friday.

Li said the mechanism had enhanced communication and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries and boosted economic growth.

China and the United States are important tourism sources for each other. Since Chinese group tours to the United States began in June 2008, tourism in both countries have posted growth. Last year, about 4.75 million trips have been made between China and the United States, with more than 2 million U.S. tourists coming to China. This year, trips between the two countries are expected to exceed 5 million, a record high.

In 2014, Chinese tourists spent about 165 billion U.S. dollars on overseas tourism, ranking first in global tourism spending, according to the World Tourism Organization under the United Nations. The United States was second in the ranking, with about 111 billion dollars.

Li suggested both countries improve promotion, experience, and communication to elevate tourism to the next level.

China and the U.S. have stepped up tourism exchanges recently. In February, the two countries launched the 2016 China-U.S. Tourism Year. One month later, more than 1,300 people from the U.S. and China took part in a visit to the Great Wall. By the end of this year, about 5,000 Chinese tourists will have visited the U.S. as part of tourism year.

Kelly Craighead, executive director of the United States National Travel and Tourism Office, said that the U.S. views the leadership summit in Ningxia as an important part of the 2016 China-U.S. Tourism Year. She was upbeat that the summit will enhance tourism cooperation between the two countries.

She added that the U.S. hopes to share its experience with the Chinese government and Chinese companies to provide more quality projects and services to Chinese tourists.