Look east to boost tourism

Fewer tourists may gawk at New York City sights such as the Wall Street Bull, the city's symbolic statue of financial optimism and prosperity, this winter as fallout from the financial crisis tightens wallets around the world.

But city's tourism officials could have a warm spot in an otherwise gloomy winter in the increasing number of visitors from China.

NYC & Company, the official tourism marketing organization for New York City, is counting on the strong purchasing power of Chinese tourists flocking into the city's major shopping districts amid the holiday season.

"Tourism is an important industry that can keep New York City strong and profitable in uncertain financial times," said George Fertitta, CEO of the NYC & Company.

International travelers represent 19 percent of the all visitors to New York City but account for more than 50 percent of total visitor spending. And Chinese tourists spend more money per trip than other international visitors, said Fertitta.

The average Chinese visitor spends approximately $205 a day and $2,148 per visit to New York City. The combined spending power of the Chinese market in 2007 was $329 million, according to NYC & Company's statistics.

"Our strategy is not about selling the city based on the weak dollar or an unstable economy," said Fertitta. "We simply use these facts to point out the further benefit for overseas visitors in terms of the value of shopping."

The city is actively promoting retail spending in shopping districts beyond downtown Manhattan in an effort to get visitors to spend their holiday dollars in places that need an extra push.

The Harlem for the Holidays program, for example, gives visitors free transportation from midtown Manhattan to Harlem, a major African-American cultural and business center.

Travel agencies in China are also promoting tours to the US, hoping the upcoming Spring Festival golden week holiday boosts the outbound travel market.

China International Travel Service (CITS), a leading travel agency, offers a nine-day, 17,800-yuan-a-person group tour to the west coast of the US during the Chinese New Year holiday.

"We sold 70 percent of our tours by mid December, which is quite satisfying," said Lin Kang, deputy general manager of the CITS outbound department.

The company is selling more US trips, although the overall number of international trips is slightly down from 2007, mostly likely due to the global financial meltdown, said Lin.

"The crisis' immediate impact is not as big as expected," he said. "Demand still outweighs supply in the Chinese outbound tourist market."

China is quickly becoming a tourist source country as the growing middle class in its metropolitan areas begins to spend its newfound wealth. The US Department of Commerce has projected the number of Chinese visitors to the US will reach 579,000 by 2011.

Chinese leisure travelers will soon outnumber Chinese business travelers in the US, a trend kick-started by a Beijing-Washington agreement in 2007 making it easier for Chinese tour groups to get visas.

Local American tourism organizations are taking advantage of the new wave of incoming Chinese tourists.

NYC & Company launched a campaign to heighten the city's overseas presence and promote travel and tourism.

The New York City opened its first tourism marketing office in Shanghai in 2007 to facilitate closer cooperation with local travel agencies. It also stepped up Mandarin services at many New York attractions, museums, department stores and bus companies.

"The financial crisis will not influence our targets in the Chinese market," said Fertitta.

(China Daily 01/05/2009 page6)