中國遊客成美國酒店新'財神' 各大城市大打中國牌

The American hospitality industry is stepping up efforts to make Chinese visitors feel more welcome as they are projected to soon surpass travelers from the UK and Japan as the single largest overseas demographic.

據預計，中國遊客很快將超過英國和日本的遊客，成爲美國最大的海外遊客羣體。因此，美國旅遊接待業正加大努力，以使中國遊客更加賓至如歸。

And it's not just the typical tourist hubs of New York and Los Angeles, where such efforts have long been commonplace.

在紐約、洛杉磯等傳統旅遊城市，這早已不是什麼新鮮事。

Smaller cities like Boston, Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are increasingly trying to attract that demographic, industry officials say.

行業官員表示，除了這些城市，波士頓、拉斯維加斯、西雅圖、華盛頓哥倫比亞特區等相對較小的城市也越來越努力地吸引中國遊客。

"Americans traditionally lag behind what other international designations do for different cultures," said Elliott Ferguson, CEO of Destination DC, the city's convention and tourism organization, which last year launched "Welcome China," a certification program.

華盛頓會展與旅遊組織“特區目的地”去年啓動了名爲“歡迎中國”的認證項目，該團體的的首席執行官埃利奧特·弗格森表示：“就爲不同文化背景的遊客提供服務而言，美國傳統上落後於其他熱門的旅遊目的地國家。”

"We just kind of assume that one size fits all. Quite frankly, that's just not welcoming."

“我們想當然地以爲可以一種模式通吃。坦白地說，這不是迎客之道。”

Local tourism associations in those and other cities have recently launched campaigns aimed at getting their member hotels, restaurants and tourism companies to better incorporate Chinese language and customs into their offerings.

上述城市及其他城市的地方旅遊協會最近發起活動，旨在要求會員酒店、餐館和旅行社把中文和中國習俗更好地融入到服務中。

They're also embarking on tourism-focused sales missions to China and opening satellite offices in Chinese cities to strengthen ties and sell their city to trendsetters.

這些協會還組織旅遊推銷代表團赴中國，在中國城市開設衛星辦公室，以加強聯繫、向潮流引領者宣傳其所在城市。