Published on : Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Zhang Xilong, head of an official China Tourism delegation said, “China and U.S. tourism should not be at the mercy of what is happening (politically). The global economy is integrating more and more, our dependence on each other is growing. We must cherish this and enhance our mutual respect and understanding of each other to ensure peace and stability.”
He spoke at the “Beautiful China: Beyond Your Imagination” U.S.-China Tourism Conference hosted in Los Angeles last weekend.
Around 250 people, who were representatives of the tourist industry from China and the United States, attended the conference at Huntington Library and Gardens. The conference was designed to introduce American tourist industry professionals and U.S. government officials to the beauties and attractions of China.
In spite of strong warnings from business groups and trade experts, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum just two days before the conference, that could impose tariffs on up to 60 billion U.S. dollars of imports from China and place restrictions on Chinese investments in the United States.
However, in spite of all these, key players of the tourist industry remained optimistic and hoped to continue growing a mutually beneficial tourist trade in the coming years.
Kathryn Smits, vice president of International Tourism at the Lose Angles Tourism and Convention Board, believes that the healthy trends would not be affected by the White House.
She added that the City of Angels has attracted more than 1 million Chinese tourists every year since 2016.
The goal of LA’s Tourism Board is to attract 50 million visitors from around the world by 2020 and Smits wished China success in attracting tourists globally as well.
Zhang said that Chinese tourists travelling overseas are expected to grow to 200 million over the next five years, which would energize the global tourism market and help balance international trade.
Tags: China and US tourism