Fang Yichun, from eastern China’s Jiangsu province, will visit Mexico for the first time next month to see Fifa World Cup games and relax on a tropical beach in the resort city Cancun.

One of her university professors described Cancun as scenic, but the 22-year-old has seen mostly negative news reports about Mexico, featuring drug cartels, urban public safety threats and people sneaking across the US border. She said she planned to stay near her Chinese-speaking guides on the two-week trip.

“My impression isn’t that great,” she said.

Fang and three fellow students will participate in a World Cup writing project that will take her to matches in Mexico City and the industrial city of Monterrey. She said she was curious to learn what Mexicans thought of the world’s top soccer event.

“I want to hear the voices of common residents,” she said.

This month, the Mexican government announced a plan to boost tourism from China with the goal of making Chinese travellers the Latin American nation’s 10th largest market by 2029 – up from 14th today.