Travel In China: China’s next big travel trend: U.S. TV show tours

Who needs bulky guidebooks when you've got "Friends," "Gossip Girl" and "CSI?"

Now that the U.S. government has started streamlining the visa process for Chinese travelers, China's fast-growing tourism market has spotted a new way to zip about the United States: travel with fewer people but more focus.

One Shanghai-based travel agency recently launched a "U.S. TV show tour" on its website, grabbing the attention of Chinese netizens and U.S. TV series addicts.

TV shows: travelers' window to the U.S.

The 10-day cross-country tour is organized by Yi Xiang Consultancy (逸香高端定制), a travel agency specializing in high-end customized outbound trips, and is scheduled to take off on April 2.

Priced at RMB 19,800 (US$3,143), the 20-strong group is set to touch down in Los Angeles, where they can do V-sign poses in and around the Nokia Theater (where the 2011 Emmy Awards were presented), take in the Grammy Museum and swing by a certain TV set to catch the crew in action (Yi Xiang has yet to reveal the name of the TV show).

The group will then head to Las Vegas for the crime lab in "CSI," which wil be followed by a visit to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island.

The final stop is New York City and the locations of "Friends," "Gossip Girls" and "Mad Men."

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In the past decade, U.S. TV shows have become one of the biggest pop cultures among young Chinese city-dwellers.

Although most of the shows have never been officially imported by Chinese television stations, it's hard to find anyone under 30 who has not heard of "Prison Break" or Carrie Bradshaw.

Yi Xiang's project manager, Wang Zhenpeng (王振鹏), 24, told us that the company got this idea from one of its American-Chinese consultants, Jerry Wu, who is a huge fan of U.S. TV shows.

Customized tours are the new trend

Wang added that China is seeing a growing trend of customized tour groups and TV shows can serve as a main draw for some U.S. cities to promote tourism among Chinese travelers, "especially when many TV fans in China have turned from thrifty students to affluent and thirsty travelers."

"U.S. TV shows have gathered so many fans in China that we think there is definitely a market here," noted Wang. "We want to provide Chinese tourists with an in-depth travel opportunity to see the United States."

According to Wang, Yi Xiang has run only customized high-end outbound tours for company clients previously, such as a 10-day trip to attend Warren Buffett's shareholders meeting in Omaha, and this will be their first public-geared travel project.

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The travel agency tried putting together a similar tour late last year, but the group failed to depart because a few participants pulled out at the last minute.

The company now receives an average of 10 inquiries for the tour package per day, but has yet to confirm whether or not this group will fly.

China's U.S. TV fever

"'U.S. TV show tour' still needs more promotion [at this stage], but it's sure to be popular during summer vacations," said Xiao Gang, founder of meijumi.com (美剧迷), one of the most popular U.S. TV fan sites in China.

"Chinese people love U.S. TV shows because they're well-produced and they have long been a replacement for Hollywood movies in China."

No official figures can be found for the number of U.S. TV fans in China, but unofficial sources have estimated the number to be no less than 60 million nationwide judging by fan site registration numbers.

SOURCE: CNNGo

China's next big travel trend: U.S. TV show tours is a post from: China Travel Trends