Boom gates open for U.S. tours

LOCAL tour agencies expect a surge of interest in group tours to the United States following an agreement signed in Beijing on Tuesday.

Agencies have already begun preparing itineraries and devising safeguards to prevent people from overstaying their welcome.

China has opened up group tour access to 132 nations and regions and local agencies are expecting a boom.

Agencies are waiting for specific terms of the US agreement before the bonanza begins.

"We estimate the specific terms will be released within six months, then we will start promoting our products which are now in the design stage," said Liu Xiaojun, an official with Shanghai CYTS Tour Services.

The agency has conducted investigations into US tourism, including accommodation, catering and guide services.

"Hawaii and the surrounding isles and metropolises such as New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will be the first-phase of our promotion focus," Liu said.

"We believe as the US-bound traveling market becomes mature, more destinations, such as the Grand Canyon, will be included in our products."

The Shanghai China International Travel Service has designed similar products with CYTS Tour Services.

"The price is expected to be higher than traveling to Europe, ranging between 22,000 yuan (US$2,973) to 25,000 yuan," said Yu Weihua, general manager of Shanghai China International Travel Service.

Yu said the company was confident of successfully breaking into the US-bound market, as most local tourists regard the country as a "dream destination."

Meanwhile, the agency has been fully prepared to prevent some people taking advantage of tourism to stay illegally in the US.

"With our long experience of operating overseas-bound tourism, we are confident we will be able to exclude people with illegal intentions from our groups," said Yu. "Tourists providing true and appropriate personal materials will find it easy to get a tourism visa to the US."