LA becomes first city to open tourist office in China
Officials of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau say they have become the first American city to open an office in Beijing.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled the site. He said:
“This is a historic moment and we are excited that the China National Tourism Administration has granted Los Angeles the opportunity to open the first city-level tourism promotion office in China. This marks the beginning of tourism and economic advances for both partners on both sides of the Pacific.”
With a population of 1.3 billion people, of which 176 million have enough resources to travel internationally, China currently is the fastest growing market for Los Angeles, according to city officials.
“Opening the office in China will help expand the global reach of LA INC.,” said Mark Liberman, CEO and president of LA INC., The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.
He projects a surge upwards of 12% this year through 2007 until 2010, based on average growth achieved in 2005 when 86,000 Chinese visited LA – reflecting a spike over 2004.
The World Travel and Tourism Council reported China’s hottest outbound tourism market is projected to grow to 100 million international travelers by 2020.
Analysts predict inbound travel from China to the U.S. will expand by 46% between 2005 and 2008. As home to the second largest Chinese-American community in the United States, Los Angeles can expect to receive a significant number of visiting friends and relatives.
Los Angeles is the only city in America servicing all three Chinese national carriers – Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Los Angeles International Airport is also the only U.S. airport providing for 19 weekly nonstop flights from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to LA.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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