China's Ctrip has signed strategic deals with the Italian authorities of airports, railways and museums to prompt more Chinese to visit Italy.

"Ctrip will expand international cooperation with Italian partners and is ready to be the 'Marco Polo' of the new era, acting as a bridge of cultural exchange between Italy and China," said Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip.

Ctrip is China's and Asia's top online travel service provider with 300 million users.

It signed a strategic arrangement with Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT), as well as cooperation agreements with the Airports of Rome (ADR), Italian railway Trenitalia and Ferrari Museums on March 22.

The move was viewed as a milestone for Italy-China tourism cooperation.

Through the arrangement, ENIT aims to attract more high-end Chinese tourists to explore in, learn about and spend in the country.

Chinese tourists made a total of 1.8 million trips to Italy last year. Italy issued 15 percent more visas in China in 2018.

According to a recent report by the China Tourism Academy and the travel agency Ctrip, Italy was the second most popular European destination for Chinese tourists.