For the first time in Macy's 88-year Thanksgiving parade history in New York, there was a Chinese float, the Beauty of Beijing. The float featured tourism sites in Beijing, a band playing both Chinese and American songs, flag dancers and lion-dancing. People waved to the lion-dancing performers and raised their cellphones for pictures as children cheered. Officials expected that the float, along with other promotional efforts during the Thanksgiving holiday week, could attract more international tourists to China.

The United States is the fourth-largest source of foreign travelers to China and the largest to Beijing. "It's the first time that we have used such an international festival to promote Beijing's tourism," said Zhang Jing, director of city image and marketing at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development. "It's an innovation." The float "delivers the message that Beijing is forever an ideal destination for tourism, and helps with the tourism industry of overall China," said Xue Yaping, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York.