Chinese tourists after a shopping expedition. Liu Jie and Zhang Peijian/China Daily

Individual travelers can hire a Chinese-speaking driver for 10 days through New York, Philadelphia, DC, Niagara Falls and Boston for roughly 21,000 yuan ($3,300) a person.

"Tourists don't have to spend a lot to enjoy custom-made service," Yan says.

The agency's seven-day trip through Boston, New York, Philadelphia and DC at the end of October was booked two weeks after it went online.

New York has marketed nine-day tours, highlighting local fashion and culture.

"We want Chinese tourists to spend their time in New York as locals do," says Feng Xuan, tourism-marketing manager for New York at the Shanghai office of Brand USA.

In addition to the popular sites like the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and Wall Street, lesser-known options will be added to itineraries.

These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, South of Houston and citywide helicopter tours that zoom into the skyline from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

More flights mean the average cost of US trips within 10 days will drop to 10,000 yuan next year from the current 15,000-25,000 yuan.

Air China International Corp launched four direct flights a week to Newark on Oct 26.