From the Niagara Falls Review:
China has granted Canada a new designation that will make it easier for Chinese travellers to visit this country, a move Niagara’s tourism industry has been eagerly anticipating for years.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday Canada has been given Approved Destination Status. Harper made the announcement in Beijing following his meeting the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo.
In 2008, 159,000 Chinese travellers came to Canada, an increase of 5.3 per cent over the previous year, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
It’s a tiny fraction of the 1.3 billion people in China, the world’s most populous country.
Tourism operators like the Niagara Parks Commission have been eager to see Canada earn Approved Destination Status because opens Canada’s door to more travellers.