Banff begins selling itself to the Chinese

BANFF, Alberta - A group of Chinese reporters has toured the Banff area in anticipation of the day, probably late this year, when the Chinese government begins allowing Chinese citizens to visit Canada as tourists. Only business visits are now allowed.

Among those visiting Banff was the chief editor of Tourism Magazine, Qin Zhijun, who planned a 10-page spread about the Canadian Rockies. China has wealthy people who "want to see the world and have money to spend," she told the Banff Crag & Canyon through an interpreter.

The World Tourism Organization forecasts that China will have 100 million outbound travelers a year by 2020, making it the potential fourth largest source of outbound travel in the world.