New organization to encourage China-US tourism

SHANGHAI - A new non-profit organization was launched in Shanghai on Thursday to help attract more Chinese tourists to visit the United States.

The Visit USA Committee - China will promote US tourism on behalf of member travel agencies, and provide prospective Chinese customers with information about visas and travel within the United States. More than 40 such organizations have now been established around the world.

Speaking at an event to mark the committee's establishment, Eric Wolff of the US consulate in Shanghai noted that the number of Chinese visitors to the United States has been on the rise, and predicted that the trend will continue.

Latest statistics from the US Department of Commerce show that 1.47 million Chinese tourists visited the United States in 2012, and the number is expected to reach 1.7 million this year. Each Chinese tourist spends an average of more than $6,000 per trip.

The Visit USA Committee - China will provide services in fields including destinations, airlines, theme parks, tourist attractions, hotels, cruises, car hire and insurance.

It was set up to provide a broader platform to share the latest travel information and develop products that can better serve tourists' travel experiences, said Becky Cao, the new organization's acting chairwoman.