China will be the primary business focus of AmericanTours International (ATI) over the next 30 years, the largest inbound tour operator in the United States said.

ATI will open an office in Beijing early next year. This office will be the Los Angeles-based company's first representative office outside the United States. The travel operator recently signed a memorandum of understanding of strategic partnership with Air China to work towards bringing more Chinese tourists to the United States.

China and the United States have not reached an ADS agreement despite a tourism co-operation memorandum signed in 2004. The ADS system simplifies visa application procedures for tourists. They can use ordinary passports to apply for tourist visas if they want to visit an approved country.

China has signed ADS agreements with 108 countries and regions. By the end of last year, 76 of them had received Chinese tour groups. While the number of Chinese outbound tourists tripled to 32 million between 2000 and 2005, Chinese travel to the United States decreased 5 per cent a year.

China could be a major tourism market for the United States as restrictions loosen, said ATI, which serves nearly 1 million visitors annually from more than 70 countries. The Chinese spend on average US$1,250 per day on shopping during a four-day trip. This does not take into account the revenues generated to the hotels, restaurants and attractions.

ATI is not the only company that has started working on long-term growth in China before the floodgate opens. Several US states, such as Nevada, Utah and Hawaii, have launched various tourism campaigns in China in hopes of attracting Chinese travelers.

Source:佚名