US' new visa policy fuels boom in visitors

Perfect timing

Peter Phang, managing director of Las Vegas Convention Visitors Authority China says the timing of the new policy came at the perfect time for the company because it has recently expanded with a team dedicated to grow the trade show and exhibitions segment.

He says with the longer validity of visas, there will be a wider pool of Chinese who are ready-to-travel to the US, so it reduces any obstacles to visiting Las Vegas to participate in the many trade shows the city hosts.

"Many customers are calling to inquire about the US visa application. We estimate there will be great market demand of the outbound trips to the US during the New Year and Spring Festival," says Wang Qian, deputy general manager of the USA region, outbound tourism department, China International Travel Service Limited.

The agency has prepared a range of tour products, both group tours and semi-independent tours and visitors can choose from destinations including the East Coast, the West Coast and Hawaii. Another option: Take a Disney Dream Cruise.

According to Cai Jinghui, chief operating officer of Qyer.com, a popular website for overseas travel, having a US or Schengen visa makes Chinese tourists eligible for visa-on-arrival or even visa waivers in more than a dozen third countries. Also they can benefit from the weakness of non-US currencies such as the Japanese yen and the euro, and the fierce competition in the Chinese online tourism industry.

"In 2015, the outbound tour market will continue to boom. Independent tours will still be popular in big cities, while group tours will occupy the market in second- and third-tier cities."