Sri Lankan Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said on Tuesday that the Sri Lankan government had signed an agreement with a leading Chinese tour operator in a bid to attract more Chinese tourists to visit the island country.

Amaratunga said local tour operator Green Leaves Leisure, backed by the tourism ministry, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China's Yingke Travel, which is based in Beijing, to provide better facilities for Chinese tourists and promote Sri Lanka as a world class tourist destination.

Amaratunga said China is an important destination for Sri Lankan tourism and the government hopes to attract over 300,000 Chinese tourists at the end of this year.

He said the ministry hopes to make China the leading origin for Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals and the island nation's tourism sector.