NYC expects record number of Chinese tourists

New York City is set to receive another record-breaking number of Chinese visitors in 2016.

The Big Apple is expecting 921,000 tourists from China this year, up 8 percent from the preliminary estimate of 852,000 in 2015, which was a record, according to NYC & Company, the city's official tourism office.

China is the fourth-largest international source of visitors to the city, behind the UK, Canada and Brazil, and the tourism office said it expects the number of Chinese tourists to break 1 million by 2018.

"NYC has seen a dramatic growth from the China market over the last several years, and with the expansion of the visa validity from one to ten years, the potential to see continued growth is extraordinary," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, in a statement to China Daily. "As tourism increases from China to New York City, we look forward to welcoming one million Chinese visitors by the end of 2018."

The average household income of a Chinese tourist is $78,000, according to statistics provided by NYC & Company, which said Chinese tourists are among the biggest spenders in the city - an average of $3,940 when they stay an average of 11 nights.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com