China tourism launches charm offensive to woo more tourists

China's tourism has launched a charm offensive to attract American tourists with a photo exhibition at Harvard University over the weekend, showcasing diverse destinations such as the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, and the Potala Palace.

The exhibition, which featured more than 30 stunning photos capturing the scenic sites and places of interest all over China, was hosted by China National Tourist Office in New York at the prestigious Ivy League college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the 39th Boston Dragon Boat Festival on June 9 and 10.

Harvard is the Chinese tourism office's first stop of its new marketing campaign -- "Bringing China Tourism to American Universities" to woo American university students to visit China, Lin Kuang, director of the office, told Xinhua.

Kuang believes such events can help inspire the outstanding American young people to travel to China and appreciate diverse Chinese culture, which will eventually enhance people-to-people exchanges.

"During this summer vacation, we will visit more American universities and use a variety of rich content to entice the younger generation of Americans to visit China," Kuang said.

In 2016, almost 3 million Chinese people visited the United States, compared with less than 400,000 in 2007, and they spent $33 billion in tourism expenses. The number of American tourists traveling to China increased 10.7 percent, according to Brand USA.