Tourists from Beijing as members of the first ever leisure tour group from China wait to visit Universal Studios' Global Theater in Los Angeles, the United States, June 23, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- City officials of Los Angeles Monday formally welcomed the first ever leisure tour groups from China, kicking off a historic week for the tourism industry in the second largest U.S. city, which is home to Hollywood, Disneyland and the Universal Studios theme park.

    A total of 240 Chinese visitors, traveling with tourism officials from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, joined Los Angeles city officials at Universal Studios' Global Theater to celebrate the landmark moment.

    "Los Angeles recognized early on that Chinese travelers would be a burgeoning visitor market for the city," said Mark Liberman, president and CEO of LA INC., the city's tourism promotion agency.

    He said LA INC.'s Beijing tourism office opened two years ago has established relationship with Chinese travel agencies and tour operators, which will provide Los Angeles with a competitive edge, adding that the city will benefit greatly from the economic impact.

    As a result of a significant agreement reached late last year between the two countries, leisure groups from China are now allowed to visit the United States.

    The inaugural groups of 240 tourists, who arrived here after visiting Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia, will experience the destinations in the Los Angeles area for five days, including Universal Studios, Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Chinese-language tour of the world-renowned art collection at the Getty Center.

    In addition to their Universal Studios experience, American Express distributed a 50-dollar traveler's check to each Chinese visitor at the event as a welcoming gesture to the inaugural travel groups.

    "As the first city in the world permitted to open a tourism office in China, Los Angeles is uniquely positioned to benefit from the influx of Chinese visitors," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement.

    Chinese visitors are known to stay longer than any other overseas travelers to the United States, and as the most popular destination in the country for Chinese visitors, Los Angeles city and its boutiques, restaurants and other entertainment locales will undoubtedly benefit from their travels, the mayor said.

    According to LA INC., the city welcomed 131,000 Chinese visitors last year. With 19 nonstop flights from China every week, the Los Angeles International Airport is the only U.S. airport serviced by all three major Chinese airlines -- Air China, China Eastern and China Southern.

    Los Angeles officials expect to see a 50 percent increase in travel from China after the first year of the implementation of the bilateral tourism agreement, which would represent an increase of 62.5 million U.S. dollars in direct visitor spending.