U.S. travel agents have welcomed China's decision to lift restrictions on group travel to the United States, which was China's largest overseas spending market before the pandemic.
The United States is one of the countries that China has allowed to host outbound group tours, along with the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo called China's move “a significant win for the U.S. travel and tourism industry,” saying it was the result of “months of hard work” between her department and China's Ministry of Commerce.
“Before COVID, there were about 3 million Chinese tourists visiting the United States each year, contributing more than $30 billion to the U.S. economy,” Raimondo said. “We look forward to seeing Chinese group travelers return to the United States.”
Visa waiting times remain a stumbling block
Jeff Freeman, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, welcomed the move but said simply lifting restrictions on group travel would not be enough to bring back Chinese visitors.
“The dramatic increase in Chinese visitation is dependent on the State Department reducing visa wait times, which remain stubbornly high worldwide,” Freeman said. “China was a top-three market for international visitation before the pandemic, but the steady increase in visa wait times threatens our ability to attract these very valuable visitors again.
An optimistic destination for Chinese tourists
Adam Burke, CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Commission, called it “a significant milestone in L.A.’s tourism recovery.”
“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Chinese tourism to Los Angeles, which was the No. 1 market for international travel before the pandemic,” Burke said.
Fred Dixon, CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, said the return of outbound group travel from China is “very welcome news,” but air traffic from China must also recover.
