China sees sharp increase in tourists to US   

签证放宽假期加力 中国赴美游客数量大增

受美国放宽对华签证的提振，加之暑期出游高峰的来临，中国赴美游客数量近来大幅增加。

Beijing (CNS) -- The number of Chinese tourists destined for the US reached a peak in recent days, no doubt due to the US government adopting a series of measures to raise the efficiency of visa applications. The summer vacation is also a high season for long-distance tourism.

"Our company already sold out more than 30 group trips to the US in July, and we only have few vacancies for some group trips in August", said He Yong, a business manager from travel service company Ctrip, adding, "we are already experiencing busy booking hours for September departures."

The sharp increase in tourist numbers is always accompanied by higher costs for related services. China's travel agencies generally offer consumers July trips to the US at an average price of about 20,000 yuan (US$3,140), twenty percent up over 2011.