WordCamp Hawaii Speaker Explores Chinese Tourism and Social Media
by Lorelle VanFossen
Podcamp and WordCamp Hawaii is taking on social media and tourism from China on Oct 24, 2008.
Christine Lu of The China Business Network will be presenting a program on “Using New Media To Capture The Outbound Chinese Tourism Opportunity” which is big business in Hawaii as well as much of the United States.
There are many travel and tourism blogs eager to capture the attention of the Chinese Tourism market. According to the America Government site, leisure travel groups from China are now permitted to visit the United States, bringing more than 300,000 Chinese travelers annually as part of a recent tourism pact with the US Government. At least 160 tour groups have been approved to work with American tour operators.
In 2006, the average visiting Chinese spent an average of USD $6,000 per trip. Estimates are that the number of Chinese tourists to the United States, as well as around the world, will more than double by 2011.
With the exposure of the world to China with the recent Olympics, the Chinese are determined to expose themselves to the rest of the world. The Investor’s Business Daily says that tourists from China spent $2.5 billion in the U.S. last year, and this number is expected to grow.
The number of Chinese citizens traveling overseas will hit 100 million a year by 2020 from 34 million in 2006, estimates the World Tourism Organization.
Chinese visitors to the U.S. have doubled over the last decade to 397,000 last year, Commerce says. The number is expected to reach a robust 755,000 by 2017, according to research firm Tourism Economics. The recent tour pact could push the number higher.
The China National Tourism Administration estimates that nearly 30 million Chinese traveled abroad in the first nine months of 2007, up 17% vs. the year-ago period. Hong Kong, Macau and Japan were top destinations. But many are expected to turn their sights to the U.S.
WordCamp Hawaii might be a prize destination to explore this tourism market for travel-oriented bloggers. Register now to ensure you have a space and can participate in this fascinating discussion.
