China has in principle agreed to allow its citizens to travel to neighboring North Korea on group tours, according to Du Jiang, deputy head of the National Tourism Administration.

China will also permit North Korean travel agencies to set up representative offices in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, Du was quoted as saying in a statement posted on the administration's Web site today.

Group tours will start "at an appropriate time'' after the two countries hold talks to iron out the details and sign a formal agreement, the statement said.

Air China, the country's largest international carrier, started direct flights from Beijing to Pyongyang in March, the only foreign airline offering scheduled flights to the North Korean capital, the Xinhua News Agency said in a report today.

China has already approved 135 countries and regions as outbound tourist destinations, including the U.S. and the UK, the agency said.