Los Angeles, the US's second largest city, has long drawn in Chinese tourists eager to see its popular attractions such as Disneyland and Hollywood Boulevard. To capitalize on this interest, the Los Angeles government launched a free training program early this year to help the local hospitality industry better understand the needs and desires of Chinese tourists, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Last Wednesday, Garcetti visited Shanghai as part of an eight-day trip to China. He was accompanied by an 80-person delegation of tourism and business leaders. The trip's primary purpose was to promote Los Angeles as a tourist destination. "China is the largest overseas market for visitors to Los Angeles, with 570,000 people visiting this city last year, contributing some $955 million to local economy," Garcetti said at Discover L.A., an event designed to promote the city abroad. "The number of Chinese tourists visiting Los Angeles is expected to grow by 30 percent by 2016."

To achieve that goal, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board has launched the China-Ready Training & Designation Program, a rolling course given every three to four weeks to local hotels, shopping malls, scenic spots and entertainment and leisure establishments. "Our aim is to train our tourism partners to prepare for huge floods of Chinese visitors into the US," said Ernest Wooden Jr, the president and CEO of the board.

Although the number of Chinese tourists to Los Angeles has been growing, there is still an opportunity for the city to attract more. "We found that Chinese travelers have their unique habits and preferences, and the program is to help the hospitality community to understand these differences and travel behaviors, resulting in an improved experience," Wooden said. "For example, they don't like ice water, they don't like to lie on the beach, and they want to shop…Such little things are different from those of other tourists, and we want our partners to know how to prepare for them now."

Program participants must complete a series of in-depth training seminars. For example, the tourism board tells hotel at the seminars to offer amenities specifically for Chinese tourists, including hot water, Chinese tea and slippers. "We tell them the importance of having slippers in guest rooms, as the Chinese travelers don't like to have their bare feet on the carpet," he told the Global Times.

The program also recommends that hotels provide Chinese breakfast buffets, Chinese-language newspapers and a few Chinese-speaking employees.

These days, everyone seems to know how much Chinese tourists love to shop. The scenes of Chinese tourists rushing into luxury stores and later walking out loaded with shopping bags has replayed itself again and again. According to a survey last year by Global Blue, an international shopping website, 82 percent of Chinese tourists consider shopping a vital part of their overseas trips.

To better serve these willing spenders, the Los Angeles government has brought all of the major luxury shopping centers together to offer special year-round discounts to Chinese shoppers. "We have prepared a small Chinese-language booklet with discount coupons to very famous high-end luxury shops in all of our shopping malls," Wooden said.

The program also requires major shopping destinations to hire Chinese-speaking sales people and to accept China's UnionPay credit and debit cards.

The program's participants have to pass an exam to make sure that they comprehend what they have learned. So far, 10 businesses have completed the program, including the Hilton Universal City hotel and Harbor Breeze Cruises. The government will promote businesses that have completed the program by recommending them to Chinese tourists.

During his trip to China, Garcetti and his delegation have emphasized that Chinese tourists should visit Los Angeles during the Spring Festival and National Day holidays. "In the next two years, new entertainment attractions in Los Angeles will soon open to the public," he said.

As part of the 50th anniversary of Universal Studios Hollywood, two new theme parks, "Springfield" and "Fast & Furious - Supercharged," will open in 2015. In 2016, another theme park, "The Wizard World of Harry Potter," is scheduled to open in Hollywood. The park intends to bring the Harry Potter novels and films to life.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (middle) at Discover L.A. in Shanghai with his delegation last Wednesday

Photo: Courtesy of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

 

Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles

 

Universal Studios in Los Angeles

Photos: CFP