XI'AN - China forecast that 150 million tourists will visit countries along the "Belt and Road", spending an estimated 200 billion US dollars in the coming five years, chairperson of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Li Jinzao said on Friday.

"We also believe China will attract 85 million tourists from relevant countries and drive domestic consumption worth 11 billion US dollars," Li said at the opening ceremony of a ministerial meeting on Silk Road tourism on Friday in Xi'an, the easternmost point of the ancient land route.

According to Li, China has over 200 projects concerning Belt and Road tourism to be launched in the next three years.

Over 40 ministers from Europe, Asia and the Middle East as well as senior government officials, and specialists in tourism, heritage management and marketing are attending the meeting.

Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), said China's commitment to the initiative, including heritage preservation, connectivity and visas, will be of great importance.

Ministers at the meeting adopted the "Xi'an Initiative", on the expansion and facilitation of tourism, the joint promotion of Silk Road travel, and deepened cooperation to improve tourism quality.

Pushpakumara Manel Withana, chair of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, said capacity-building would be an important area in the future.

"We should pay more attention to the protection of cultural heritage and environmental issues before it is too late," he said. "The initiative is a good starting point."

George Chogovadze, head of the Georgia National Tourism Administration, said that the Georgia government will continue to work closely with other Silk Road countries to explore the unique experiences Georgia can offer to tourists.

"I think the Silk Road is the 'prototype' of all the other tourism routes in the world and it deserves the world's attention, " he said.

The "Belt and Road" refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative brings together countries in Asia, Europe and even Africa via overland and maritime networks.