(Yicai) April 3 -- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has penned an agreement to make at least CNY300 billion (USD41.5 billion) in financial support available to the cultural and tourism sectors.

The deal was struck between the country's largest bank and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism yesterday, the ministry said on its website the same day.

The pair will work together to promote cultural and tourism consumption, support the growth of major firms and the construction of key projects, help make payments easier for inbound tourists, enhance cultural exchanges and tourism promotion, among other areas.

The ministry's local departments in 28 Chinese provincial-level regions and its cultural and tourism institutions in Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong also signed cooperation deals with ICBC branches at home and abroad yesterday.

Editor: Martin Kadiev