The United States might soon see an increase in visitors from China, a welcome idea from both the tourism industry and the US Commerce Department. United States Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez just signed a deal that will allow Chinese travel agencies to market packaged tours to the United States and will allow the US to advertise directly to the Chinese public.
Prior to this agreement, which gives the United States "approved destination status," tourist spots in the US were not allowed to open tourism offices in China or advertise directly in China. It is hoped that more Chinese will now visit the United States, despite perceived difficulties at US consulates and misperceptions regarding visa rules. Although it still isn't always easy for Chinese citizens to obtain US visas, it is getting better: in fiscal year 2007, 1 in 5 Chinese were denied visas, compared with 1 in 4 from the previous year.
A recent survey conducted by the American travel industry and Commerce Department found that the United States is the number one dream vacation for the Chinese. 7,000 urban Chinese residents were asked what country aside from Hong Kong and Macau they would choose to visit if they could go anywhere, and the United States was first, followed by France and Australia.
According to the Commerce Department, when Chinese citizens do visit the United States, they spend on average $6,000 per visit, which is more than the residents of any other country. However, it's still too early to know how much of an impact the new agreement will have on the United States economy. The Commerce Department says that it depends on how quickly the private sector acts to take advantage of the new agreement and how easily the US is able to handle an increase in visa requests.
