Canada issued a record 272,608 temporary resident visas to Chinese citizens by September, according to Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

The figure is larger than the combined total for temporary resident visas granted to visitors from India (117,927) and Mexico (59,863), which rank second and third respectively.

The number of visitor visas issued for Chinese this year is expected to hit 1 million, another record. Last year the number was 974,711.

"Our government's top priority is to help create jobs and economic growth," Alexander said. "That's why, in visa offices around the world, we are pulling out all stops to increase legitimate trade and travel which, in turn, ensures economic growth and long-term prosperity here at home."

Every year since the granting of the Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) for Chinese tour groups in 2010, there has been a double-digit increase in the number of Chinese tourists, according to the Canadian Tourism Commission. Last year, there were 352,597 tourists from China, a year-on-year growth of 22.3 percent.

Starting on Feb 6 of this year, Canada further loosened its visa policy, granting multiple-entry visas (MEV), which allow qualified visitors to come and go from Canada for six months at one time for up to 10 years.

"By making the multiple-entry visa the standard visitor visa, we are evolving to meet the needs of international travelers who are looking for flexible, fast and convenient options to come to Canada," said Alexander.

Among the record- number of visas issued to Chinese tourists, more than 90 percent are MEVs. By the end of August 2014, as many as 251,547 MEVs had been issued to Chinese tourists, a 245 percent increase compared with the same period in 2013.

Canada also has made the visa process simpler and quicker for visitors by reducing costs and automatically considering visa applications for (MEVS).

With more Chinese tourists traveling to Canada, local tourism and the economy have flourished. Geng Shen, a travel agency in Toronto, Ontario, has also noticed the increase in recent years

"Some come to Canada to visit their families and friends who settle down in the country, and some are purely independent travelers for sightseeing and exotic experiences," he said.

Geng agreed that Canada's much easier visa process is a key reason for the surge in number of travelers from China.

xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn