Asia-Pacific

Canadian BC premier applauds ADS with China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-04 14:37

VANCOUVER: Premier Gordon Campbell of Canadian British Columbia Thursday applauded Approved Destination Status (ADS) with China, describing it as "a major economic and cultural step in terms of building our important relationship with China."

The decision was announced in Beijing earlier Thursday in a joint communique from both governments as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his first visit to China.

"As Canada's Pacific Gateway, British Columbia is in a position to capitalize fully on this new agreement between our nations," Campbell said in a press release. "I also want to thank the Chinese government for accepting Canada's Approved Destination Status."

Congratulating Harper for successfully securing ADS with China, Campbell said, "achieving Approved Destination Status with China is a major economic and cultural step in terms of building our important relationship with China, particularly as we prepare to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

According to the premier's office, it is anticipated that ADS could increase Chinese tourism to British Columbia by 25 percent annually over the next few years.

A representative for B.C.'s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts mentioned that the estimation was more than US$100 million per year in tourism revenue with ADS.

Kenny Zhang, Senior Researching Analyst with Asia-Pacific Fund of Canada, told Xinhua the significance ADS was to bring to BC and Canada as well would be much greater than the increase of tourism revenue as ADS would not only revitalize Canada's tourism industry, but also add to the flourishing of education and immigration in Canada.

The ADS also made Canada enable to participate in the competition with the United States and Australia in China's tourism market, according to Zhang.

Currently, most visitors from China are business travelers, students, or people visiting friends and relatives. In the first nine months this year, British Columbia has welcomed 79,845 Chinese visitors, of the 127,787 who came to Canada.

BC government believed the growth potential with ADS is substantial and expected the number of Chinese visitors to be doubled within three years.

"We have been waiting for ADS for a long time," said Kathy Ng, head of Silway Travel Vancouver.

Kathy said that her agency had been preparing for this announcement and was ready to deliver its services to Chinese tourists.