US travel agents embark on FAM trip to China

LOS ANGELES - A group of representatives of US travel agents, organized by Air China and China National Tourist Office (CNTO), departed from Los Angeles Sunday on a FAM (short for "familiarization") trip for China.

"It will be good to experience it ourselves, so that we can tell our clients that China would be safe to go," Joey Sy, a personal travel manager from Los Angeles-based Hyssop Travel, told Xinhua at Los Angeles International Airport.

Since China introduced a series of measures in 2023 to facilitate inbound tourism, including simplifying visa processes, expanding the list of visa-free countries, and expanding international flights, the country's inbound tourism market has seen continuous growth, Wu Dawei, CNTO Los Angeles director said.

Wu added that this group is aimed at further increasing the travel from the United States to China and solidifying the outcomes of the 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit held in Xi'an in May.

The group will explore classic itinerary including Beijing, Xi'an, the Yangtze River cruises and Shanghai on this FAM trip that encompasses site inspections of accommodations, dining and tourist attractions.