San Francisco launches Chinese language website
San Francisco International Airport has launched a Chinese-language version of its website for air travelers, the first in the US to do so.
The website features flight tracking and general airport information for inbound Chinese travelers, including public transportation, shopping and restaurant guides.
"San Francisco is a city of innovation and we are proud to be the first airport in the US to offer a website in Chinese," said San Francisco mayor Ed Lee.
"China wants to be here, and we heard that message loud and clear, SFO is the most natural gateway in the world for that opportunity," he added.
According to airport spokesman Doug Yakel, SFO has 59 flights a week to China and over 4 million passengers used the airport to fly between East Asia and the Middle East last year, and around half were from China and Taiwan.
Yakel said the translation and design cost $90,000 and the template may be used to create other foreign language sites in the future.
Liang Han, Air China’s San Francisco sales manager says it will "very helpful" for Chinese travelers.
Air China flies daily between San Francisco and Beijing and has seen a 40% increase in passenger loadings over the last year.
More than 1.8 million Chinese travelers visited the US last year, with almost half visiting the West Coast during their stay.
The US Department of Commerce predicts it will rise to 4 million a year by 2018.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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