From left: DU Qiang , Vice President, Beijing Capital International Airport Co., Ltd.; Phyllis Randall, Chair of Board of Supervisors and Jerome L. Davis, MWAA Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer.

A new photo exhibit highlighting the scenic beauty and rich history of China is on display in the Terminal AeroTrain station at Dulles International Airport. Officials of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Loudoun County, and the Beijing Capital International Airport gathered Monday to unveil the exhibit and reinforce the bond that resulted from a sister airport agreement signed in 2016.

The event follows a May 2016 ceremony in Beijing where a delegation from the Airports Authority and Loudoun County, Virginia, signed and celebrated a formal sister airport relationship while unveiling a photo exhibit promoting travel to the United States. Over the past year, executives and staff from both airports have cooperated to enhance collaboration and innovation in marketing, terminal management, airside management, route development, commercial management, and design. The sister airport agreement is complementary to the sister county/city relationship between Loudoun County and the Shunyi district of Beijing which focuses on economic development.

Since 2013, China has been the top international tourism market for the D.C. region with over 300,000 Chinese tourists visiting Washington in 2015, spending on average $3,300 each. Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport, the world’s second busiest, are connected by regular nonstop United Airlines and Air China flight service. 

Take a look at six of the 25 photos from the exhibit below.