According to the US Department of Commerce, a Chinese tourist spends an average of $6,000 USD in the United States. This enormous spending power of the Chinese tourist is the main reason behind the New York City Tourism Bureau to vigorously promote the visit of thousands of Chinese visitors; the largest group in NYC tourism history. According to the Tourism Bureau’s latest news, among the main activities of Chinese tourist, 95% are shopping, followed by dining. Business owners are all smiles upon the arrival of Chinese tourists.

Although the final amount of the total consumption has not yet been released, Fetida (费提达), the Tourism Bureau’s executive officer, said: ‘You (Chinese tourists) are very important to our business indeed’ at the welcome dinner in front of 60 tables filled with Chinese tourists. Katz , the director-general of the Empire State Building observation deck, and Perrin, the CEO of Cartier North America, also said, the Chinese customers are growing rapidly and becoming one of the main customers. The growth of the number of Chinese customers is significant especially during the Chinese New Year.

On February 16th, when the Empire State Building invited Consul-General Keyu Peng (彭克玉) for the lightning ceremony, only Chinese guests were invited. Red Lanterns were also hanging in the windows at the entrance in order to let the Chinese customers feel warmly welcomed.
The U.S. official organizer said the reason for the event being supported by the Empire State Building, Macy’s, Cartier and other famous businesses is the recognition of the consumption power of the Chinese tourist.

On February 14th, thousands of Chinese tourists rushed into the prosperous 5th Avenue of New York City during their Chinese New Year Holiday, with all different kinds of Chinese dialects. Some stores were decorated with styles of Chinese New Year Celebration and also presented Asian assistants only to attract more Chinese customers.

Miss Wu, who works in the financial industry in Shanghai, visited Gucci, Fendi and Versace within only a few hours after her arrival to 5th Avenue, and purchased more than a thousand dollars each time in almost every store. With a moderate income as she said, she laughed and said the price of the luxury brands in U.S is cheaper than those in China, with no worry about fake products. As a result, despite the possibility of taxation after returning China, she still seized the opportunity and made generous purchases.

Lizi Zhu (朱黎子), a travel agent of China Travel Service Office with the traveling group said that the spending power of Chinese tourists continue to increase over the years. With the tourism market in Europe and Southeast Asia getting saturated, they show great interest in the United States. ‘And the giant spending power of the Chinese customers usually is reflected on the last day. We will wait and see’.

The Chinese Lunar New Year with its millions of travelers is not only a gala for domestic retail sales, but a feast for overseas retailers, too.

Source: China Decoded (March 1, 2010)

More Than 1,000 Chinese Tourists Head To New York To Celebrate Chinese New Year, Welcomed By Lion Dance At Macy’s

Chinese tourists were invited on an exclusive tour of the Empire State Building to celebrate Chinese New Year in New York (Image courtesy Xinhua)

Last fall, Jing Daily wrote about the increased outreach efforts of retailers like Macy’s to reach out to Chinese — and other free-spending — tourists in New York. From special discount cards to smaller, but similarly appreciated, gestures like multilingual signs, retailers in major American tourist destinations like New York have recognized the huge opportunity that China’s growing ranks of outbound tourists present and have retooled their marketing appropriately.

This week, the efforts of Macy’s and others were apparent, as China’s largest-ever America-bound tour group (numbering around 1,000) hit New York in a Chinese New Year tour organized by Continental Airlines and the New York Galaxy Travel Agency. According to Chinese media, the activities organized by Macy’s were a hit among members of this large tourist contingent. From Huanqiu, via Xinhua (translation by Jing Daily team):

America’s largest retailer, Macy’s, on February 15 received the largest Chinese tour group ever to travel to America, the “Gathering of 1,000.” These tourists took part in a lion dance activity organized by Macy’s to commemorate Chinese New Year and received special shopping cards and gifts in a welcoming ceremony.

These visitors, most of whom are from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, will stay a total of 8-10 days in the U.S., and their tour will convene in New York during Chinese New Year. In addition to visiting the 100-year-old Macy’s store — which held the lion dance for these tourists — the group enjoyed a special lighting event at the Empire State Building, which was opened up exclusively for Chinese tourists on Chinese New Year. At the event, Chinese Consul General Peng Keyu attended the lighting ceremony, which lit up New York in red and yellow.

It is estimated that the “Gathering of 1,000″ Chinese tourists will contribute roughly $6 million to the U.S. economy in this trip alone.

Naturally, Chinese online opinion about this group of 1,000 free-spending tourists (who apparently spent an average of $6,000 each, if Xinhua’s estimates are correct) is mixed, with the Jiefang Ribao (Liberation Daily) quoting critical netizens and concluding somewhat cooly, “This tourist trip is just a tourist trip. It proves nothing and it changes nothing. Isn’t it overkill to cheer or criticize it?”

Chinese tourists enjoyed a lion dance event at Macy’s this week

While it may be overkill to read too much into this huge tourist group, and it certainly seems overly reactionary to criticize it too much — as Chinese tourists, like anyone else, have the right to spend their money on tourism and shopping if they so choose — New York retailers (and tour operators) definitely have reason to cheer. If the news coming out of Taiwan this week — where the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has reiterated its desire to attract 3,000 mainland Chinese tourists daily in 2010 for a target of 1 million tourists for the year — is any indication, retailers in Taipei and elsewhere are likely hoping for similar waves of tourists to flood their registers with cash.

Source: Jing Daily (Feb 18, 2010)