An agreement on the tourism cooperation was signed Thursday between a senior delegation from French Lozere Province and the tourism authorities of Guizhou Province in Southwest China.

Yang Shengming, director of the Guizhou provincial tourism bureau, said Guizhou started cooperation with Lozere in 2001 when a local parliament delegation from the French province visited the land-locked province.

In March 2003, Guizhou University signed agreements with two French universities on launching a French-language training program in China, said Yang.

Jean-Paul Pourquier, who headed a 22-member delegation on a three-day visit in Guizhou, said he was impressed by Guizhou's improvement in traffic construction and tourism management.

Lozere, the least populous French province, is known for its picturesque countryside landscape. Tourism has become a pillar industry for the province.

(Chinadaily.com March 5, 2005)