Are Chinese tourists ripe for US group travel?
US tour operators looking hungrily at the expected boom in Chinese tourism are seeing some small signs that American policy-makers will start embracing foreign visitors with a lot more enthusiasm.
Chinese tour operators say American cities such as New York and San Francisco top the list of places tourists want to visit. But promoting tours to the US is banned in China. The country is not among Beijing’s approved travel destinations.
The reason why is not hard to find: Washington’s restrictive entry process.
Surveys show foreigners overwhelmingly view the US as the worst place in the world to obtain a visa.
“But as pressure grows on Washington to ease up on visa rules tightened after the 2001 terrorist attacks, American and Chinese tour companies see signs of hope that many of the millions of wanderlust-driven Chinese will head for the United States,” wrote the Los Angeles Times.
An estimated 300,000 Chinese visited the US last year, spending about $1.5 billion.
Most Chinese prefer to sign up with tour groups because of language and costs. With that route currently closed, many are touring the US on business, student, family-visit or individual tourist visas, but these are often hard to get, reports the newspaper.
Forty percent of 2,011 overseas travelers said they had tried to get a U.S. visa but gave up, according to a survey by the lobbying group Discover America Partnership. Many Chinese believe that they are subjected to especially tough security and financial scrutiny by US officials.
But various lobbying groups say that attitude may be changing, in part because of the huge trade deficit that the US has with China.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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