Spain's capital Madrid hosted a forum on tourism on Monday to boost cooperation with China in the field, welcoming more Chinese tourists to visit the southwestern European country.

As tourism, one of the pillar industries of Spain, bounces back, the Spain-China forum on tourism collaboration was aimed at a return of visitor numbers, especially high-value tourists from China.

This year marks a special year for Spain-China ties with celebrations of 50 years of official diplomatic relations and the launch of the China-Spain Year of Culture and Tourism in late March, when Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was on his visit to Beijing and announced the tourism forum.

Over 150 representatives from the tourism sector in both nations held discussions and round-tables on trends, opportunities and challenges in the area following China's reopening after three years.

Data showed Spain received 83.7 million international tourists in 2019, among whom over 700,000 visitors were from China.

According to guests attending the meeting, the goal is to see a recovery of the flow of visitors between the two nations.

China's Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping addressed the forum via video link reaffirming the importance of the China-Spain relationship.

"Both China and Spain are countries rich in history thanks to their ancient civilizations and enjoy a privileged position in world tourism, with incoming and outgoing visitors of great importance. The strong ties of friendship allow both nations to complement each other, allowing people from both nations to meet and walk hand-in-hand," said Hu.

The Chinese official's words were echoed by Spain's Secretary of State for Tourism Rosana Morillo.

"We believe that today's dialogue can be the beginning of a renewal of tourism relations which will allow both nations to grow closer. Spain is and will continue to be China's great ally in Europe and we hope the best travel destination for its citizens," said Morillo.

Spain looks to set for a record year of tourism in 2023 with numbers of visitors even greater than pre-pandemic levels, driven by international tourism, officials said.