Top China travel destination makes bid for US tourists

NEW YORK, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from a top-ranking tourist destination in China held a seminar in New York City over the weekend in a bid to attract U.S. tourists.

Representatives from Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan province presented breathtaking canyon sceneries and attractions from ethnic minority groups.

In 2023, the United States was among the top ten sources of international tourists visiting Zhangjiajie, said Wang Hongbin, mayor of Zhangjiajie city.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the regional Wulingyuan scenic area, is the prototype of Pandora in the first Avatar film.

Wang also expressed his confidence that more American tourists would visit Zhangjiajie and kick off more exchanges between the tourist site and the United States.

Jupiter Legend Corp. of Universal Vision, a U.S.-based travel agency, signed a cooperation agreement with Hunan Huatian International Travel Agency at the seminar.

Huang Ping, the Chinese Consul General in New York, said China recently unveiled a series of favorable policies to facilitate travel between China and the United States.

Huang said China resumed the issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas to U.S. citizens in early 2023 following a hiatus during the pandemic, and applicants for China visas now enjoy a discount on fees.

"In Linden, we do understand the significance of promoting cultural diversity and fostering international connections," said Derek Armstead, mayor of Linden City, New Jersey.

Armstead stressed the importance of the next generation experiencing different cultures, ideas, traditions and values.

As a well-known Chinese tourist destination, the Wulingyuan scenic area in Zhangjiajie is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Wulingyuan houses over 3,000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks, many over 200 meters tall, along countless ravines, rivers and waterfalls.

Wulingyuan also has a transparent glass-bottomed bridge that spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie. When it became operational in 2016, it was the longest and tallest glass-bottomed bridge in the world, with a length of 430 meters and a height of 260 meters above the ground.