The China National Tourism Office held an annual party on February 8th in Los Angeles to reveal 2012's theme of tourism in China – happy and healthy.
Even though the global economy is still struggling, the China National Tourism Office says the number of inbound overnight visitors to China increased 3.4 percent in 2011 to 57.6 million people compared to the previous year's 55.7 million. International tourism earnings grew from $45.8 billion to $48.5 billion over the same period of time.
The deputy Director of China's National Tourism Office in Los Angeles, Luo Weijian said he hopes the theme will inspire the travel industries in China and the US to develop more products that highlight happiness and health in the New Year.
Luo shared that the China National Tourism Office has recently begun multiple campaigns in the US market. During 2012's Lunar New Year in New York, the office ran promotional videos on the jumbo TV screens in Times Square. He believes that travel can be an art if people aim to "do it right and do it better."
Air China shared its "Phoenix message in the Year of Dragon" at the event, a message that focuses on its recently debuted Boeing-777 ER for the Beijing-Los Angeles route. Air China's logo is a flying phoenix, a mythical creature symbolizing good luck in Chinese culture.