VENICE, Italy - With the flow of Chinese tourists to Europe on the increase, sector operators from both sides have started discussing how to better smooth their trip and make their stay easier in the continent.

More than 6 million Chinese visited Europe for the first time in 2017, according to a report by the China Tourism Academy - a specialized institute under the Chinese National Tourism Administration - and China's largest online travel agency Ctrip.

Around 46 percent of them came from the east of China, with Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as top departure cities.

Furthermore, Europe became the second most popular destination for Chinese outbound tourists last year, registering a 26.3 percent increase over 2016, according to Ctrip data.

Their per capita consumption during their trip grew by about 36 percent. The statistics were announced at a Sino-European tourism business meeting in Venice on Saturday, in parallel with the official launch of 2018 EU-China Tourism aimed at boosting Sino-European tourism through more cooperation and investments.

Hundreds of operators at the event were offered a first chance to increase their contacts, improve cooperation and plan new strategies.

"A first benefit we expect from the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year is in terms of communication," said Wang Chengyan, secretary-general of the European Federation of Chinese Tourism.

"We do not only have the chance to meet counterparts in Europe, but also suppliers and partners in China, and we can talk to government sectors as well."

Yet, although figures suggest Chinese tourists' increasing appreciation for European countries, much could, and should, still be done to make their journey easier, according to Wang.

"First of all, the visa. We think this is the top factor to ensure their smooth journey to Europe," Wang said. "Our first hope is that visa procedures could be streamlined, and, as ultimate goal, that Chinese tourists could be finally exempted."