Editor's Note: Following a four-day tourism summit in Los Angeles, the message is clear, "Chinese tourism is not slowing down." Despite a tumultuous economy, more than 2 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit the US in 2015. A burgeoning middle class and the creation of a new 10-year visa between the two countries have officials confident that the devaluation of the RMB is not going to keep people from flocking to the United States in massive, big-spending tourist groups. The article reports on the state of Chinese tourism to the US today.

Over 2 million Chinese tourists traveled to the United States in 2014. The most popular destinations were New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii.

A Chinese domestic tourist agency recently released a report stating that the number of Chinese tourists to the United States has exceeded two million travelers per year. The number of tourist visas granted to Chinese citizens has vastly increased over the past decade, and the number of tourists to the United States has doubled. High-end group tours to the U.S. have become trendy for Chinese travelers as disposable income in China increases.

Expanding Tourism

The 9th China-US State Tourism Committee conference was held from September 9 to 11 in Los Angeles. The conference was attended by about 200 people from the U.S. tourist industry and a Chinese delegation. Li Jinzao, from the Chinese Tourism Bureau, attended the meeting as part of the Chinese delegation and delivered a speech.

In the meeting, it was revealed that 2.188 million Chinese tourists traveled to the United States in 2014, an increase of 21% from the previous year. China is now ranked number three in number of tourists traveling to the United States.

In the first half of 2015, tourism between the two countries has continued to expand. The number of Chinese living in the U.S. increased by 16%, and China is becoming one of America’s most important sources of tourist income.

Ten Year Visas, Good for Tourism Industry

In November 2014, China and the United States announced the joint creation of tourist visas for each other’s citizens valid for 10 years. This has helped facilitate tourist visits between the two countries.

Ctrip reported that from January to August 2015, more than 30,000 Chinese tourists applied for a tourist visa to the United States, an increase of over 100% from the same period last year. Most Chinese tourists traveling to America are from Shanghai and Beijing, with numbers from Guangzhou and Chengdu quickly rising.

The largest number of Chinese who travel to the United States are from the following cities, in ranking order: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, and Shenyang. The number of Chinese tourists from second and third tier cities is growing quickly.

East, West, and Hawaii

Chinese tourists generally travel to the West Coast, the East Coast and Hawaii- New York, Los Angeles and Hawaii are the most popular destinations. However, Chinese tourists have begun to consider more niche destinations as well including Seattle, Miami, Orlando and Chicago. Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls are also on the radar for Chinese tourists.

Group tours are increasingly popular for Chinese tourists traveling to the United States. 30% of Chinese tourists who travel to the States book group tours. The market for group tours is one of the fastest growing this year in the U.S. tourism industry.

Source: thepaper.cn

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Keywords: US popular tourists China tourists US