Landmark Chinese Tourism
Project Announced
Columbia, South
Carolina
The Alfred P. Sloan
Travel & Tourism Industry Center at the
University of South Carolina, in partnership with
the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA),
is launching a major research project addressing
the anticipated future increase in Chinese
travelers visiting the United States.
Surveys and
interviews will be conducted in major Chinese
cities to determine why citizens want to come to
the United States, what sites they're interested in
seeing and how long they intend to visit this
country. The project will also examine the
cultural, social, economic and political conditions
that will affect travel from China to the United
States.
The World Tourism
Organization (WTO) predicts that more than 100
million Chinese tourists will travel to other
countries by 2020, making China the number one
exporter of tourists. Currently, Chinese citizens
are only able to visit countries with Approved
Destination Status (ADS). Although the United
States is rapidly moving toward establishing a
formal ADS agreement, few businesses and
destinations are adequately preparing for their
arrival.
"This project is a
landmark examination of the future, outbound
Chinese tourism market for the United States," said
Dr. Rich Harrill, director of the Sloan Travel
& Tourism Center. "This research is
important to United States' competitiveness in the
travel and tourism industry because it will help
businesses and tourism destinations plan and
benefit economically from this potentially
significant market."
Dr. Robert Li, a
Center faculty associate, will manage the project.
Results should be available in December.
The Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center is
a comprehensive and inclusive travel and tourism
research and outreach center and is a joint effort
of the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport
Management and the Moore School of Business at the
University of South Carolina. It is funded in
part through a generous grant from the prestigious
Sloan Foundation, headquartered in New
York.
The Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center is
available to partner with businesses,
organizations, and agencies at the local, state,
national, and international level. Please
contact Dr. Rich Harrill at 1-803-777-7682
or
rharrill@gwm.sc.edu.
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