Chinese travelers to Canada up 15.5% in 2012

According to the World Tourism Organization, a UN agency, Chinese tourists abroad, about 83 million in total, spent a record 102 billion U.S. dollars last year, surpassing the Germans as the largest spenders in international tourism.

For many Chinese abroad buying high-end luxury goods that are often less expensive than at home, or perhaps unavailable, is the target of their purchases.

"And they are really following many other Asian cultures who have come to Canada," said Klassen, who noted the average Chinese visitor to the country in 2012 spent C$1,777, up 3.2 percent year-on-year.

"So the Chinese are no different from that and our understanding and research tell us that they do save up a fair bit of money so that when they do take that trip they have that luxury goods memento of that experience."

To make travel to Canada easier for Chinese travelers, Klassen said the CTC has been working closely with the Canadian embassy in Beijing to streamline the visa process to encourage more people to visit. In the past, the process has often been lengthy and difficult.

"I think the numbers can double. I think they'll slow down a little bit. You know the accelerated pace has been quite fast, but I think we'll be looking at minimum 10 percent growth over the next five years," he said.

"They could come close to doubling (in five years). Again, it is up to us to help ensure that we continue to create, develop and animate the experiences that the Chinese are looking for," he added.

While communication can be a barrier for Chinese traveling in a country where the official languages are French and English, Klassen felt Canada had a "competitive advantage" as the country has more than 1.4 million Canadians of Chinese descent.

With Cantonese largely spoken in the major centers of Toronto and Vancouver, Mandarin is quickly gaining ground with the wave of immigrants to the country from China's mainland over the past two decades.