SHANGHAI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Over 750 exhibitors from 53 countries and regions have registered to take part in the 2019 Shanghai World Travel Fair to be held from April 18 to 21.

The Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism said Morocco, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Gabon and Turkmenistan will make their debuts at the fair.

Long-term partner exhibitors from Italy, Russia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Cambodia, Peru and Cuba will showcase new products and services in accordance with the new trends in China's tourism market, according to the organizer.

The annual event is a platform to showcase China's natural sceneries, as local tourist authorities are vying to present their tourist resources with high tech measures at the fair.

The fair will convene local tourism bureaus, agencies, online tour operators, airline companies, theme park operators, hotels and insurance companies. It is expected to attract over 15,000 professional visitors and 50,000 travel lovers this year, said the organizer.

In the year of 2018, Chinese tourists made 150 million overseas trips and 5.5 billion domestic trips. Major tourist destinations in the Chinese mainland received 48 million foreign visitors last year.