Recent years have seen soaring numbers of Chinese tourists eager to discover new landscapes and experiences.
Buoyed by years of economic growth, China's tourism sector has undergone a huge transformation. And nowhere is that more apparent than countries in the 'Belt and Road Initiative'. One of those is Turkey. But for the millions of Chinese tourists eager to expand their horizons, the adventure abroad is not without its challenges.
This is the most popular show in China, and it's about traveling abroad. In this episode, Chinese celebrities travel to Turkey. So what exactly draws Chinese to Asia Minor?Religion, culture, the people and of course, the food.
Turkey is a new market for Chinese tourists and it's growing fast. The number of Chinese tourists landing in Turkey has gone from thousands five years ago to tens of thousands today. But travel to Turkey poses a certain number of challenges for Chinese tourists. There are few Chinese restaurants, almost no language guides and recent political tensions and attacks aimed at Chinese have also sparked worry.
But the tourism boom shows no sign of slowing down, and Chinese students studying Turkish predict it will keep going.
"With the "One Belt, One Road" initiative and a growing Chinese economy, I'm sure there will be more Chinese tourists choosing to visit Turkey, a beautiful land linking Asia and Europe," said Yao Lingwei, student of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Their teacher Guan Bo took us on an aerial adventure. Recent years have seen soaring numbers of Chinese tourists eager to discover new landscapes and experiences.
"There are a lot of Chinese who can speak English, and I can tell them what to do," said Fatih Doganay, Hot Air Baloon pilot.
But discovering a different culture is always challenging.
"China is such a big country and the world's second-largest economy. But people in Turkey actually know very little about China, I am a little uncomfortable about this," said Guan Bo, Turkish teacher of Beijing Foreign Stidies Universities.
But thanks to him and his students, people in both countries are learning about the other culture. Their school is even considering setting up a Turkish cultural center in Beijing.
There are still many things Turkey needs to do to attract Chinese tourists, with better information and infrastructure. For Chinese tourism in Turkey is about to take off.
