The new year begins with the welcome news that beginning yesterday, January 8, China will lift its quarantine requirements for international arrivals, with inbound travelers now needing to show only one negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure. The reopening of China's borders will have global implications, including the expected gradual return of the massive outbound Chinese travel market. Such a resumption would be a significant boost for the U.S. travel and tourism industry, as Chinese travelers were the fifth largest source for arrivals and the top source for spending in the United States prior to the pandemic. In 2018, for example, just under three million Chinese visitors spent over $34 billion on their travel experiences in the United States.
Over the past three years, Brand USA laid the groundwork for the return of the Chinese visitor as well as our industry’s reengagement with the market. For example, we conducted online trainings with leading operators such as Mafwengo, Tuniu, and China Tourism Group. We inspired travel dreaming through hundreds of social media posts across Weibo, WeChat, and Travel Snap that achieved more than six million impressions through organic reach alone. We conducted a direct-to-consumer inspirational campaign with Ctrip.com and Visit California that recently won “Best Strategic Foresight of the Year” by Ctrip.com. We even collaborated with the U.S. Embassy on joint initiatives to promote Chinese study abroad in the USA.
To help our industry prepare, we will be hosting a webinar on February 9, 2023, at 12pm ET providing a comprehensive market update and insights from our key partners in China. This session will be the first of many engagements with you as we lay the groundwork and mobilize our collective efforts to welcome back Chinese visitors.
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