Miami looks to rails for tourists

Miami, the so-called Magic City, known for its world-class beaches, balmy breezes and crystal blue waters, is expecting more Chinese tourists in the next few years, thanks in no small part to a new train.

"The brand new high-speed rail, the Brightline intercity express train, opened up a few months ago, and it's traveling now from West Palm Beach to Miami," said Bruce Orosz, chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). "Eventually in the coming year, it will travel from Orlando to Miami in three hours. We believe that will be a big, big attraction."

"We estimate that we got somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000 and 100,000 Chinese visitors last year," said Orosz, adding that it's not easy to track Chinese tourists in Miami because there's no direct flight between China and Miami, yet.

"Add on the Chinese guests that go to Orlando — and that's, you know, many hundreds of thousands — that will eventually make their way to Miami," Orosz added.

"So, there could be many more, because we could not track people that come in on their own," he explained.

Orosz said that the GMCVB is working aggressively to find an airline that can enable non-stop service between Miami and Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen and they hope to find one in the coming year.

"We also see more and more independent Chinese travelers," he said. "Many Chinese travelers are now traveling by renting cars and driving themselves, especially the younger generation."

Orosz said a big focus for the bureau now is to accommodate these independent travelers by adding Chinese signs in parking lots, simplifying the car rental process for Chinese visitors and enhancing Mandarin-language information services.

The city is also putting more emphasis on its expanding opportunities and developments in the sports and entertainment world to attract more Chinese visitors, according to Orosz.

"For example, we are working very closely with David Beckham to create a new Major League Soccer (MLS) site," Orosz told China Daily. "So that would be one more attraction that the Chinese tourists will be able to enjoy when there are MLS soccer games being played in Miami."

GMCVB has combined their sports division with their entertainment and culture division, because they believe the three are "very synergistic," Orosz said.

Orosz said the city is also eying new incentives for film or television production companies to film in Miami — especially Chinese producers.

"When I was in China last March," he said, "we met with many Chinese producers and film companies in Beijing and encouraged film and television production in Miami."

"For the Chinese visitors and tourists, whenever there is a production happening on the streets around Miami, it's another attraction — people get excited to see what's being filmed and what's happening behind the camera."

Contact the writer to?ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com