Travel Expansion Ideas.

[JohnMotto]

So I represent an American travel agency and their goal is to bring in more Chinese tourists from the mainland; maybe partnering with a Chinese agency, we are a regional service providing tours to only the Niagara Falls areas.

But I have no where to start, anyone familar with the Chinese business environment can offer any advice?

Thanks

[cdn_in_bj]

I can't comment on the business aspects, but there are many younger Chinese travelers who would like to visit US/Canada but can't due to the difficulty in obtaining visas.

[Rincewind]

Difficulty getting visas is the main concern of my students when discussing foreign travel. I don't know if it's really difficult but people's perception is such. If you solve that problem, or change their perception of the problem, then you will probably do quite well.

[adrianlondon]

I don't know if it's really difficult

It is, but you can usually keep applying and vary your answers until you're successful. Normally, people say they have relatives they want to visit in the UK or US and think that'll make them more likely to get a visa. However, these people are usually rejected as they might want to stay with said relatives.

Trick is to say you have a degree to complete, or a business to run, and know no one outside of China at all. Oh, and show bank statements flush with yuan. Then you'll get a visa.

Having said that, I think applying for a group tourist visa (ie you'll sit on a but all day, spend your time in chinatowns around Europe and take quick photos of "ancient" (ie over 20 years old) buildings) then you can get one easier. Dunno the application process for those though.