国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Business / Industries

China, US exchange tourism boom

By XIE CHUANJIAO in Qingdao, Shandong and AN BAIJIE in Beijing (China Daily) Updated: 2012-09-19 00:04

China and the United States have become each other's fourth-largest tourist destinations, with nearly 3.5 million tourists traveling between the two countries last year, according to China's top tourism official.

Shao Qiwei, head of China's National Tourism Administration, said on Tuesday that more than 1.36 million Chinese travelers visited the US last year, an annual increase of 17.6 percent. The number of US travelers to China reached more than 2.11 million last year.

"I believe that the number of tourists traveling between China and the US will reach 5 million in 2015," Shao said at the sixth China-US Tourism Leadership Summit held in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on Tuesday.

Established in 2007, the summit is a platform for both countries' authorities to boost tourism.

Chinese tourists spent a total of $7.7 billion in the US last year, an average of $7,107 for each tourist, which helped create 210,000 jobs in the US, Shao said. Tourists from the US spent $3.3 billion in China last year, an average of $2,348 for each tourist.

Shao said Chinese travelers stayed an average of 11 days in the US, while US tourists stayed 12.6 days in China on average.

Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the US Travel Association, said that the tourism industry is expected to stimulate economic growth for both countries.

"As the global economy remains challenged, we understand the value of travel," Dow told the summit. "We understand its potential to create millions of new jobs and billions of dollars of GDP."

The US processed more than 1 million visa applications from China last year, an increase of 34 percent compared with 2010, he said.

To make it easier for Chinese people to visit the US, the US authorities have made significant progress in improving the visa process.

"Wait times for interviews have decreased dramatically, with wait times at all consulates in China at less than five days throughout August," Dow said.

Tian Ping, general manager of China Travel Service Shandong Ltd, expects to see continuous growth with the improvement in the visa process.

The company saw a fivefold year-on-year increase in the number of visitors to the US in the first eight months this year, she said.

"That the visa process has been simplified and sped up by the US is a major contribution to this increase, as 80 to 90 percent of the applicants are able to get visas," Tian said. "The US market is likely to gain more of the share of tourists who might otherwise visit other destinations like Europe."

Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy, said there is still plenty of room for the US to improve its services for Chinese tourists, such as having its websites, TV programs and restaurants provide more Chinese-language services.

Contact the writers at xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn and anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Tan Zongyang contributed to this story.

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
伊川县| 巫溪县| 阿巴嘎旗| 庆云县| 临清市| 宣化县| 承德县| 渭南市| 遂平县| 土默特左旗| 同心县| 湟中县| 阆中市| 祁门县| 平遥县| 安西县| 万宁市| 鄂伦春自治旗| 铁岭县| 镇沅| 永兴县| 繁昌县| 建水县| 长乐市| 天津市| 商河县| 安平县| 台山市| 敖汉旗| 新泰市| 海晏县| 岳普湖县| 景德镇市| 兴仁县| 昔阳县| 新乡县| 读书| 福鼎市| 安康市| 永胜县| 博客|