The Major Barrier
USA Visa Requirement: Chinese applicants may have to travel up to 1000 miles for a mandatory 3-minute interview
Europe’s share of the China outbound tourism market is three times greater than the U.S. share (currently 6% while the US is at only 2%). The burden of having to travel from their home city to Beijing or another city with a U.S. Consulate for an in person visa interview is the primary reason for the U.S. failing to capture a more significant portion of these outbound tourists according to OC&C Strategy Consultants (Journeys to the West. The Rise of the Chinese Traveler). Other countries around the world are competing for this explosive export opportunity. The U.S. is missing out.
This export opportunity will continue to explode. The CFO of Tuniu, the second largest online travel agency in China, recently reported “Only 6% of Chinese have a passport. Every 1% extra in passports means 13 million travelers who can travel abroad.” According to the Asia brokerage group CLSA, over 200 million Chinese are expected to travel internationally by 2020.
