BEIJING - Indians visiting China reached more than 350,000 in the first half of this year, up 4.2 percent year on year from a year earlier, according to official figures on Friday.

China and India, the world's two most populous countries, have agreed to boost tourism cooperation to improve people-to-people ties, said the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's India tour last September, Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to launch "Visit India Year" in China in 2015 and "Visit China Year" in India in 2016.

The two nations have agreed to raise the number of mutual China-India visits to more than one million in 2016.

"Compared with our population, one million is very small. We will have great cooperation potential in the future," said CNTA Director Li Jinzao.

According to tourism authorities, the two sides have been working together to simplify visa procedures, increase direct flights and improve service levels. The two sides also aim to develop new travel packages and routes as well as improve communication and coordination to safeguard safety of tourists.