Texas shoots for China
Tourism authorities in the US state of Houston have launched a campaign to attract Chinese tourists that banks on the appeal of superstar basketball player Yao Ming.
The “My Houston” campaign features Yao, who plays for the Houston Rockets team, and other celebrities with ties to the city – including singer Beyonce, athletics icon Carl Lewis, and former United States President George H W Bush, TODAY reported.
“More than a billion Chinese are very interested in seeing him and we are working very hard to see how we can capitalise on that image,” Jorge Franz, vice-president of Tourism in Houston, was quoted saying.
He said they received more than 12,000 inquiries from China, mostly
about Yao Ming. The report said the campaign was launched in Texas a fortnight ago and will be rolled out in China later.
The focus on Chinese tourists follows Beijing’s granting of the Approved Destination Status (ADS) for the US last December. This means Chinese tour operators can now sell group tours to the US.
According to Tourism in Houston, some 20,000 Chinese visitors came to the American state last year and that the number was set to rise.
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