Los Angeles tourism official expects closer exchanges with China

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A tourism official of Los Angeles said more Chinese tourists are welcome to visit the city, while expecting closer tourism and cultural exchanges between the United States and China.

In a video speech sent to Xinhua, Adam Burke, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, congratulated on the success of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in China earlier this month.

Attracting three million visitors in just three days was an extraordinary achievement, he said.

"This is yet one more example of the significant commonalities between our communities," Burke noted.

Mirroring the unique blend of experiences that travelers can enjoy in Harbin and throughout China, Los Angeles is the only city in the world where people can go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the afternoon, he said.

Just as Beijing holds the great distinction of being the only city in the world to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games, Los Angeles will become the first American city to have hosted the Olympics a record three times when the city welcomes the Games in 2028, Burke said.

China and the United States have agreed to resume bilateral Tourism Leadership Summit later this year to further revive and develop tourism cooperation between the two countries.

"This important step recognizes the vital role that our industry plays in enabling the people-to-people exchanges that have brought our peoples so close together over the years," Burke said.

Recalling his two China visits last year which took him to Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, Burke said he continued to find great inspiration in the richly diverse and unique history and cultural heritage that China is known for.

He welcomed more Chinese tourists to visit Los Angeles, noting tourism is a powerful force in the growth and development of Los Angeles' economy.