US travel agencies focus on China market

By WANG QIAN wangqian@chinadaily.self storagecom.cn With Chinese getting visas easier and more ? ights available, every Chinese person will have an opportunity to come to America."TONY VERICELLA As Chinese tourists become top spenders around the world, US travel agencies are customizing tour projects to attract them.Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board plans to launch a Hello China pro- gram next year.h is will include a Shop Los Angeles project from January to April to lure more tour- ists from China, Jamie Lee, regional director of the orga- nization told China Daily at the China Incentives, Busi- ness Travel and Meetings Expo in Beijing on Sept 4.h e three-day expo was held from Sept 2 to 4 by the China National Tourism Administra- tion and the Beijing govern- ment, to showcase the latest developments, especially con- cerning meetings, conferences and corporate events."By then we hope at least 300 experienced Chinese tour guides can be trained to meet surging demand," she said.Currently the city has about 100 experienced Chinese guides.While training hundreds of experienced Chinese tour guides, Lee added the orga- nization will also hold culture training to help bridge any dif erences.Creating a friendly and comfortable tourism envi- ronment is important to lure Chinese tourists, Lee said."The Chinese market is growing so fast and we are keeping up," Lee said.But it's not all good news for Lee. Since expensive meals and showy oi cial trips were banned across China in an eight-point regulation released by President Xi Jin- ping in December last year, nearly no official trips were received in Los Angeles, according to Lee.The regulation said for- eign trips should be reduced to those absolutely necessary and there is no need for recep- tions by overseas Chinese, institutions and students at the airport.From December to April, the cost for oversea official trips fell 8.5 percent year-on- year in Beijing, according to the capital's discipline inspec- tion commission.But this does not greatly inl uence Chinese tourism in the US.US tourism data show that the number of Chinese visi- tors surged to nearly 1.5 mil- lion in 2012.h is resulted in $9.2 billion in economic benefits, while tourist numbers are expected to surge to 3.4 million in 2018.Tony Vericella, CEO of Luxe Travel Hawaii, launched high- end customized Hawaii travel for Chinese tourists last year.h e price is at least $10,000 per person for six days."With Chinese getting visas easier and more l ights avail-able, every Chinese person will have an opportunity to come to Ameri迷你倉a," Vericella said.A non-stop l ight from Bei- jing to Hawaii is expected to be launched in April.Although not every one in China can af ord a luxury US holiday, most have a dream of going there, Vericella said.Yang Meili, assistant direc- tor of the Ivy education center of Shanghai Airlines Holiday Tours International Co Ltd, said every year her company organizes up to 4,000 Chinese students to go to the US for less than 20 days."Chinese parents want their children to experience the culture and education oppor- tunities of the US," Yang said.h e number is climbing every year, she added.While culture and educa- tion undoubtedly attract Chi- nese, shopping is also luring Chinese tourists who rank top on the spending charts, according to US data.As increasing numbers of US luxury stores cater to Chi- nese visitors and hire more Chinese-speaking employ- ees, many Chinese plan their shopping tours like 32-year- old Sui Xin, a Shenyang resi- dent."h e list is never too long for my shopping trip in November," Sui said, tak- ing out her three-page list, with her budget for shop- ping reaching 50,000 yuan ($ 8,064).She planed to travel to Los Angeles and Hawaii for two weeks.While the US is catering to Chinese visitors, Lee also suggested Chinese tourists should change their habits to i t in better."I know it is part of Chinese culture, but in the US speak- ing loud in public and getting too close to other people is kind of rude," Lee said.h e government is address- ing the issue with a new tourism law taking effect in October. It aims to promote cultural knowledge of various foreign destinations to help tourists have a more enjoyable holiday.GROUP MAKES STRIDES TO PROMOTE TOURISM The World Tourism Cities Federation, established in 2012, is a nongovernmen- tal international organiza- tion comprising tourism cities worldwide.Under the theme "Tourism Makes City Life Better",the federation promotes coordinating economic and social development among tourism cities, enhancing urban develop- ment, elevating the image of cities, strengthening intercity international ex- changes through tourism, and improving member cooperation.The federation also aims to expand the tourism economy, and to enhance the quality of the tourism industry and improve its ef ectiveness.It also seeks to establish an evaluation system to provide a basis for policymaking for the tourism industry. It also intends to plan tourism marketing activities and information sharing. The federation provides ser- vices for complementary advantages and common prosperity.CHINA DAILY文件倉