Brazil's Tourism Ministry has authorized 316 travel agencies to receive Chinese tourists in 2017, a 5 percent rise over 2015, it was announced on Friday.

In a statement, Tourism Minister Marx Beltrao said that over 53,000 Chinese tourists visited Brazil in 2015 and that the country aims to see a permanent rise in this number.

The list of accredited agencies was published on Friday and was provided to the Chinese embassy in Brasilia.

"China is the largest source of tourists in the world and represents an important market for Brazil. This register is in line with the memorandum of understanding between the two countries and represents (increased) security for those using these services," explained Beltrao.

The accreditation of travel agencies is a requirement by the Chinese government and allows them to offer packages specially for Chinese tourists.

The Brazilian government opened a national call for applications from Nov. 8 until Dec. 22.

source: Xinhua