China now top source of leisure travelers to US

The number of Chinese tourists visiting the United States eclipsed that of travelers from other countries during the first half of this year -- up 46% from a year earlier, said the US Department of Commerce.

The department reported 658,756 Chinese tourists arrived during the first six months of the year, far exceeding the 7% growth in overall inbound tourist numbers. China has registered the fastest growth of tourists traveling to the US among the ten leading source countries. The number of Chinese nationals traveling to the US annually for leisure is expected to double over the next five years. The growth in the
Chinese tourist market has provided a shot in the arm for the US economy, the department said.

The Hurun Report, the work of a China-based research firm best known for producing a China "rich list," said in June the country's global outbound travel figures put its citizen's first place over the past two years, and it is an accelerating trend. Chinese tourists in the US spend an average of US$6,000 per head, the most among any group of any nationally, the department said in May.

The increase in tourists has also brought more job for the US businesses, said China's state mouthpiece, the People's Daily. Around 7.6 million jobs have been created in the US travel industry as of October while some 296,000 new jobs have been generated in the industry since December 2009, said the US' National Tour Association.

Source: Want China Times