The 11th Annual U.S. - China Tourism Leadership Summit Registers Another Major Success
Over 200 high-ranking U.S. and Chinese tourism leaders and government officials gathered together for the 11th Annual U.S.-China Tourism Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.
Brand USA co-hosted the event at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on September 20-22, 2017 along with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Georgia Tourism.
The summit brought together the travel industry leaders and government officials to address issues impacting tourism, share best practices in marketing, and receive industry updates. The event also further strengthened the relationship between the U.S. and China travel industries by creating an opportunity to conduct exchanges, explore cooperation, and reaffirm the importance of travel and tourism to the two largest economies in the world.
“This year’s U.S. - China Tourism Leadership Summit built upon the success of last year’s U.S. - China Tourism Year, which was designed to effectively position the United States and China for increased trade in travel services,” said Chris Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Brand USA. “The summit’s business sessions and networking opportunities were mutually beneficial to improve strategies for tourism marketing in the United States and China and increase travel between our respective countries.”
“Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in the big picture of the China-U.S. cooperation,” said CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao. “It enriches the cooperative contents of bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges, as well as deepens the understanding and friendship of the two peoples.
Over the last 10 years, Jinzao noted, more than 30 million tourist visits were made between the two countries, and in the last three years, the annual tourist visits were respectively 4.28 million, 4.68 million, and 5.22 million, growing by over 400,000 per year. “Our bilateral tourism dialogue has yielded fruitful results, making wonderful stories for tourism cooperation between countries with different social systems, development stages, and models,” he added.
The summit also provided a platform to showcase great destinations and experiences in the United States and China to an influential audience. This year, in addition to evening events at the Porsche Experience Center, the Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola, the Chinese guests experienced familiarization tours of major Atlanta attractions and landmarks.
“China represents an incredibly strong-growth opportunity for tourism to Atlanta,” William Pate, president and chief executive officer of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, said. “The summit provides a platform to showcase the growth of our destination and educate Chinese tourism officials about Atlanta’s world-class cultural, educational and retail offerings.”
Kevin Langston, the deputy commissioner for tourism with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, agreed, adding: “It provides an opportunity to highlight the South’s unique, authentic experiences to the world’s fastest-growing, highest-spending market, and positions our region to capture more of that growing business.”
China is the single-largest source of international tourism spending in the United States in 2016, totaling $33.0 billion dollars in travel exports, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Travel and tourism exports account for 61 percent of all U.S. services exports to China, injecting more than $90 million a day into the U.S. economy. NTTO additionally reported that the United States welcomed nearly 2.97 million visitors in 2016 from China, representing a 15 percent increase over 2015, and that China is the fifth-largest source market for international travelers to the United States.
Brand USA’s operations in China is expansive with consumer marketing, robust travel trade outreach and cooperative marketing platforms. The consumer marketing is tailored entirely to the China market and features heavy digital and social presence across established and emerging Chinese channels. To reach the travel trade and travel media and collaborate with the U.S. embassy and consulates, Brand USA even has established representation offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.
The summit was also supported by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, CNN International, Delta Air Lines, Destinations International, Travel South USA, and the U.S. Travel Association.