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Big-spending China tourist market being pursued by US
Everyone from US tourism officers to tour operators are eyeing the increasingly lucrative Chinese visitor market, according to various reports.
The state of Nevada is so far the only US destination licensed by the Chinese government to market directly to the Chinese.
Bruce Bommarito of the Nevada Commission on Tourism is predicting that China will be that state’s biggest market in five to ten years, according to USA Today.
But two other states, Florida and Texas, have said they are expecting huge growth in the Chinese market.
Said Bud Nocera, CEO of Visit Florida:
“Visit Florida recognizes China as one of Florida’s most promising future markets of visitor origin.”
Another state, California, showed its interest when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger led his first trade mission there.
San Francisco and Hawaii have opened offices in China. And Georgia last year sent tourism officials to discuss opening an office.
The China Daily newspaper recently reported results of a study showing a strong preference for Chinese tourists to visit the US, France and Australia.
China allows visitors to leave the country for business, governmental or educational reasons.
Last year, 415,000 of the nearly 18 million Chinese traveling out of the mainland came to the US.
The World Tourism Organization expects China to generate 100 million international travelers by 2020. Even a small share of that would mean billions of dollars.
Chinese tourists are particularly attractive because they rank second as the highest spenders in the world. They spend an average of $175 a day per person when abroad, according to various studies. That’s far more than others.
Report by David Wilkening
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