The visa waiver boosts Chinese willingness to travel to the U.S., with New York being the most popular and Los Angeles coming in second.

By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin

 

Since November 2012, the U.S. visa waiver program officially took effect. At the one-month anniversary of the waiver's implementation, global online hotel service provider Hotels.com observed that the ratio of searches for U.S. hotels by users from China on its site rapidly increased. Starting from October this year when the U.S. announced Taiwan’s inclusion in the visa waiver program, it has already begun to drive a surge in travel to the United States. The search rate that month rose 123% compared to October last year. After the visa waiver was implemented, the search rate in November this year grew 110% compared to the same period last year, with New York seeing an even higher growth rate of 154% compared to the same period last year, making it the most popular city among users from China when searching for travel accommodation.

With the U.S. visa waiver taking effect in November and the build-up to year-end holidays such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and the Lunar New Year, the search rates for hotels in U.S. cities have recently risen rapidly. According to Hotels.com statistics for November this year, the fashion capital New York was the city with the highest search rate among users from China, showing a 154% increase in search rate compared to November last year. Next in interest was Los Angeles, home to famous Hollywood celebrities, which saw a 151% growth rate. Third was San Francisco, known for the Golden Gate Bridge, while the entertainment hub Las Vegas ranked fourth. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines, seeing the potential of the Taiwanese market, plans to launch direct flights starting July 2013, which has also helped push Hawaii into the top five most searched destinations.

Hotels.com Senior Marketing Manager for Greater China, Peggy Chuang, said: “The U.S. visa waiver program brings convenience to Taiwanese travelers and has led to explosive growth in the travel market. It will make the itineraries and durations of trips to the U.S. more diverse, greatly enhancing the autonomy of Taiwanese travelers.”