China is expected to be among the 10 biggest tourist exporters to the United States next year, said a US tourism official Mark Turner.

Although European countries and Japan are still the major sources of tourists to the United States at present, the number of Chinese visitors has been growing rapidly, said Turner. Responding to the large potential of the Chinese market, the United States sent its largest ever delegation to the tourism fair, including about 50 American tourism companies and agencies.

China is currently the 12th largest tourist source for the United States. The number of Chinese visitors to the country surged 24 per cent last year.

Turner said that the US Embassy had begun a pilot program, which offers interview appointments through seven qualified travel agencies in Beijing in a bid to speed up the visa application process. The program may be extended to consulates in Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenyang and Guangzhou if it goes well in the Chinese capital, Turner said.

China and the United States have made progress in negotiations on making the United States a destination for Chinese tourists, said officials.

Canada has also pinned high hopes on the Chinese tourism market. Leading a delegation of 90 members to CITM 2006, Michele Mckenzie, chairman and chief executive officer of the Canada Tourism Bureau, said the country will take vigorous efforts this year to expand China-oriented travel services. The bureau launched a Chinese website for Chinese tourists recently.

Last year, Canada received 120,000 visitors from China, an increase of 15.2 per cent on 2004. In the first 10 months of this year, such growth reached 25 per cent, Mckenzie said.

Canada is expected to obtain authorization of ADS from the Chinese Government next year, which is expected to trigger a fast growth of Chinese visitors to the country, according to a senior Canadian Government official.

The Canadian tourism industry has been waiting for ADS from China since the beginning of this year. The process has been delayed to sort out some bilateral disagreements, said officials.

British Columbia hosted nearly 61,000 Chinese visitors as of August this year, a 9 per cent increase over the same period in 2005 and closing in on the full year total of 83,000.

"This level of growth is encouraging, and sets the stage for even more dramatic increases in the future, as marketing program show results, and travel policies make access easier," Campbell said.

Source:佚名