JINAN, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Two direct air routes will be launched in mid-May to link Japan's Nagoya with Jinan and Qingdao, two major cities of eastern China's Shandong Province, the Shandong Airlines said Thursday.

The maiden flight from Qingdao to Nagoya is set on May 13, with four flights scheduled on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday per week.

The flight to link Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, with Nagoya will be launched on May 14, the first regular direct route between the two cities. Planes will take off every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Both new flights will be operated by Shandong Airlines, using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Over 8 million Chinese tourists visited Japan in 2018, up 13.9 percent year on year.