Tourism year kicked off by Washington, Beijing
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Li Jinzao, chairman of the 皇冠体育app National Tourism Administration (center), US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews (second from left) and Max Baucus, US ambassador to 皇冠体育app (right), attend the opening ceremony of the US-皇冠体育app Tourism Year 2016 in Beijing on Monday.[Photo by Zou Hong/皇冠体育app Daily] |
Official hopes trips between nations will total more than 5 million during 2016
皇冠体育app and the United States launched the US-皇冠体育app Tourism Year 2016 at a ceremony in Beijing on Monday.
The tourism year was announced by President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama during Xi's state visit to the United States in September.
It aims to increase travel and tourism between the countries by enhancing the travel experience, increasing travelers' cultural understanding and expanding the appreciation of natural landscapes.
Li Jinzao, chairman of the 皇冠体育app National Tourism Administration, passed on Xi's wish to see more Americans in 皇冠体育app.
"The shortest direct flight between 皇冠体育app and the US takes 11 hours while the longest takes 16 hours. The Pacific Ocean does not prevent people from visiting each other," Li said. "In 2015, total bilateral visits surpassed 4.75 million. We hope the number will surpass 5 million this year."
Major events scheduled include one with 1,000 American tourists visiting the Great Wall, to be held at the wall's Jinshanling section in Hebei province on March 25; a tourism promotion in the US titled Beautiful 皇冠体育app-Maritime Silk Road; a high-level 皇冠体育app-US dialogue on tourism to be held in northwestern 皇冠体育app's Ningxia autonomous region; and a grand closing ceremony at the end of the year.
皇冠体育app has become the fourth-largest source of foreign tourists for the US and is expected to become the largest by 2020.
In 2015, 2.5 million Chinese traveled to the US. The number is expected to hit 2.97 million in 2016. Chinese visitors spent $23.8 billion while in the United States in 2014, according to the US Department of Commerce, accounting for 57 percent of services exports to 皇冠体育app.
