Calif. 'Tourism Month' geared to China
Updated: 2016-05-17 11:43
By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA)
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The California Legislature recently passed a resolution declaring May 2016 and every May thereafter as California Travel and Tourism Month, which is expected to promote tourist exchanges between the state and China.
"Travel and tourism is a 'chimney-free' industry and also provides employment opportunities and tax revenue in all parts of the state," said Kansen Chu, California Assembly member and the author of the resolution. "The Travel and Tourism Month is aimed to remind us of the importance of sustaining and growing the number of visitors to California."
Last year, travel spending in California reached $122.5 billion, a new record, which supported 1.1 million jobs and generated $9.9 billion in state and local tax revenue, according to an annual economic impact report released early this month by Visit California, a nonprofit organization that promotes California on behalf of the state's tourism industry.
Of total visitor spending, 24.4 percent is attributable to international visitors, and China is the fastest-growing tourism market to California, which is expected to surpass Canada soon as the largest source of international visitors to the state.
"Tourism is an economic engine in California, fueling prosperity and growth in communities across the state," said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. "It is essential that we continue strong statewide marketing efforts so that California remains competitive as a top destination for visitors from around the world."
However, some excellent tourist attractions in both countries are yet to be introduced to each other, said Chu, who is also chairman of the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media of the California Assembly.
In his district, San Jose, which is not widely known to Chinese tourists, the early Chinese immigrants arrived 150 years ago and helped develop the American West. Five Chinatowns were built there but later disappeared.
Chinese visitors interested in exploring the history of the Chinese pioneers may find History San Jose - a 60-acre history park - a great attraction, where they can trace the rare footprints of the early Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area, Chu said.
Chu said he was working to help establish a "sister park relationship" for parks on both sides.
In California, Yosemite National Park and China's Mount Huangshan, known as "the loveliest mountain of China", established a sister park relationship in May 2006. "There are plenty of matching tourist resources in California and China, such as Yosemite and Huangshan. We hope people from both sides can learn more about each other's iconic tourist attractions through the sister park relationship," Chu said.
The resolution also noted that "tourism also serves an important cultural purpose bringing individuals from around the world together to foster an important exchange of customs, traditions and ideas and promote acceptance and understanding".
At the invitation of Chu, a delegation from Anhui province, home to Mount Huangshan, visited the Bay Area to promote its tourist attractions as well as its more than 200-year-old opera - Huangmei Opera, also part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
"In the second half of this year, we will hold a hearing in Sacramento, inviting tourism industry professionals in California and China to discuss how to further promote tourist exchanges," he said.
liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
California Assemblyman Kansen Chu (fourth from left), Caroline Beteta (third from left), president and CEO of Visit California, and Chu’s wife Daisy (second from right), join other Visit California commissioners to celebrate the passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 166 last week, which declares May 2016 and every May thereafter as California Travel and Tourism Month. Provided To China Daily |
(China Daily USA 05/17/2016 page2)
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