China overthrew the United Kingdom last year as the number one source of overseas tourists Boston welcomed last year, according to Boston Globe. As a result, Boston’s visitors bureau will fly to China in March for their first ever sales mission in the country.
Although Canada sent 700,000 tourists to Boston last year, local tourism officials are keen on attracting more Chinese visitors to the city.
The main goal is to double or even triple the number of Chinese tourists in Boston this year, and for the years to come.
The past four years has seen the number of Chinese visitors double to an estimated 230,000 in 2016, according to the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. The increase is mainly attributed to new direct flights several airlines have added, allowing Chinese tourists to travel to Boston from several Chinese cities.
In addition, new visa policies have recently been introduced, making travel to the United States much easier for Chinese visitors.
By 2021, Boston’s visitors bureau aims to increase the number of Chinese tourists to 500,000.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our visitor industry to take advantage of the incredible growth in China in their interest in visiting America,” Patrick Moscaritolo, chief executive of the visitors bureau, told Boston Globe. Two of Moscaritolo’s staff members will join the tourism delegation flying to China next month.
“If we are ever going to dive into this market and make a full court press, the time is now.”
There is another underlying reason why Bostonians are taking advantage of the situation.
Recent events have placed the Trump administration’s travel ban under scrutiny, and has sent an image to travelers abroad that the United States is not welcoming towards foreigners. Since President Trump announced the ban, online booking websites have noted a decline in flight searches from foreign cities to the United States.