Chinese Tourists Growing Beautifully
China has one of the biggest numbers of tourists that come in the US every year. China’s middle class is larger than the entire population of the US and they are the world’s largest spenders when visiting the US. On average, Chinese also stay longer in the US than visitors from other countries. By 2015, the US is expected to be visited by more than 1 million visitors from China. This remarkable growth is largely due to the following:
- The relaxed government restrictions on foreign travel,
- The increase in discretionary income among China’s middle class is also part of the tourism spike in the US,
- And the Chinese government’s decision in 2007 to make the US an “approved destination” has also helped.
California is listed as the primary US destination for Chinese visitors.
USA Answers
With the surge of Chinese tourists in the United States, different tourism industries are taking actions. The hotel industry has perhaps been the most attentive. High-end hotels like Marriott, Hilton, Starwood (which owns Sheraton, Westin, and W hotels), and other State hotels are stationing sales representatives in China, teaches employees in the US to speak basic Mandarin phrases, featuring Chinese meals, and experiment with other ways to draw more Chinese tourists.
Different tourist attractions are gaining more and more Chinese-speaking employees and are sending out sales representatives in different parts of China. Disneyland, for one, is opening up to Chinese Mainland’s calls with the new Shanghai Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort to open its doors at the end of 2015.
According to BBC News, The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism even holds a workshop advising businesses on hot to cater to Chinese tourist, and California has started a program called “China Ready,” to help businesses to better serve those tourists and travelers and understand their culture.
What Do Chinese Tourists Do in the U.S. of A?
Chinese tourists are attracted to the US’s climate and natural and numerous tourist destinations, Disneyland being number one. Other top attractions for Chinese tourists in the USA are the Yosemite National Park which holds the strikingly beautiful Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Canyon, Hawaii with its warm climate, inviting water and waves, and active volcanoes, Hollywood which holds the very famous Universal Studios and is known as both “The Entertainment Capital of LA” and “The Coolest Place in LA”, Niagara Falls, San Francisco with the famous Golden Gate and Fisherman’s Wharf, Las Vegas also known as “The Entertainment Capital of the WORLD”, Washington as the US’ Capital, with the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial, and New York which is where the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, and Union Square Park stands.
Living in Style in Las Vegas
Some growing interests of Chinese tourists are fine dining, watching concerts, and gambling, and the best place to experience all of them? LAS VEGAS. Las Vegas is now pulling up all stops in accommodating and attracting Chinese gamblers and diners with introducing special food menus and having concerts with Chinese speaking pop stars, to name a few.
Shopping in New York
Chinese are also very into shopping, which New York City benefits most from. Estimates show that Chinese spend about $3,200 per trip when visiting New York City. Luxury items such as clothes and accessories are often at the top of their list. Shops in New York like Tiffany & Co., Estee Lauder, and Coach offer cheaper prices than the mainland and have excellent recognition from Chinese costumers. According to Wolfgang Georg Arlt, director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute: “Luxury goods are 20% to 30% cheaper in other global cities, If you plan to spend $10,000 on shopping and only spend $1,000 on airfare, it’s much cheaper for Chinese tourists to fly abroad to shop.”
Future Projections
The number of tourists visiting in the US from China is projected to grow dramatically over the next few years. The US Department of Commerce estimates that Chinese travelers visiting the US to nearly double or triple within the next three years, growing by 232%.
Sources:
- Chinese Tourists going to USA
- United States Department of Commerce
- BBC News