OTTAWA – Canada’s airports today applauded Canada’s recognition by the People’s Republic of China as having “Approved Destination Status.” The long awaited move will make it much easier for Chinese nationals to visit Canada.

“As a source of foreign tourists to Canada, the People’s Republic is of growing importance,” said CAC President and CEO Jim Facette. “This formal declaration will be a boon for Canada’s tourism sector and the aviation industry that supports it.”

Canada joins more than 130 countries with ADS, which allows Chinese travel agents to promote Canada as a destination for group leisure travel. The Conference Board of Canada projects that the move, long supported by Canada’s airports, is projected to grow the number of Chinese visiting Canada by 50 per cent by 2015.

“Canada’s airports seek measures that will improve Canada’s competitiveness as a tourism destination, including market access,” said Mr. Facette. “As the government works on its national tourism strategy, it is to be congratulated for securing a big improvement to access for potential tourists from the world’s most populous country.”

Last year there were more than 165,000 overnight visits to Canada by Chinese nationals – a 6.5 per cent increase over 2007. Even in the current recession, for the first three quarters of 2009, visits by Chinese nationals remained in growth mode. China is expected to be the world’s second biggest outbound tourism markets by 2020.