Almost every country wants Chinese tourists, but few are as well designed as a series of grouped attractions as Central Florida.
Shao Qiwei, chairman of China’s Tourism Administration, led a tour of Disney’s new Shanghai Exhibit at Epcot and said the lifting of travel restrictions means Chinese citizens have more freedom to come to the United States.
Almost as if he were an official spokesperson for Florida, he said, "It gives you a lot of fun, to be happy and joyful, and you enjoy the company with your family."
In fact, it is true. It is one of the great destinations in the world for a family — not a single person. The problem is that it can be very expensive. In fact, if you take in all the sights you can make that very, very expensive.
Officials said Orlando tourism is down 10% this year and that foreign travelers could help save the 400,000-strong local tourism workforce. The number of international passengers coming into Orlando International Airport is up 9%, and officials said foreign tourists tend to stay longer and spend more.
Research shows that the US is the number one travel destination for Chinese tourists. Chinese travelers also spend an average of 23 nights per trip and spend an average of $5,400 per person.
WESH reports that there are estimated to be 300 million middle-class Chinese capable of traveling to the US for vacations. Whether even a sizable proportion of them can afford Central Florida is another question.