PHOTO: New York City is one of the gateway cities for Chinese tourists. With the new change in visa rules, the wave of Chinese tourism can begin to move to second-tier cities, according to the NTA. (photo by David Cogswell)

Changes in the visa policy for Chinese tourists in the U.S. will boost inbound travel from China, according to the National Tour Association (NTA), which has been working with the U.S. Department of Commerce since 2007 to help facilitate travel from China to the U.S. by providing and vetting reliable operators to take care of Chinese travelers while in the U.S.

Under a new agreement between the U.S. and Chinese governments, the validity of visas for Chinese visitors has been extended from one year to 10.

The change in policy makes it possible for Chinese travelers to make repeated visits to the U.S. on a single tourist visa.

“This adds a turbo boost to the already growing demand of inbound groups from China,” said Harry Chen, a California-based tour operator and member of NTA. “Many of our tour group members from China had talked about how they love the experience of visiting the U.S. but weren't sure if they would go through the process of applying for the visa again. Now they can more easily come here to explore the vast amounts of beauty America has to offer.”

NTA President Pam Inman said that the extended visa policy will make it possible for Chinese tourism to start to move beyond the gateway cities and bring its economic benefit farther into the heartland of America.

According to NTA figures, China ranks seventh in the number of annual visitors to the United States with 1.8 million tourism entries in 2013 generating $21 billion in spending. The China market supports more than 100,000 U.S. jobs. In 2006 there were 320,000 visitors from China.

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