The first US tourism office opened last week in the People’s Republic of China.

The office, for the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT), was officially opened on Friday (11 June) and is the only representative of the US tourism industry in the country.

Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, chair of NCOT, said: “Opening the only US state tourism office in China is a big step forward for Nevada because it establishes our presence in this country of 1.4bn people, enables us to build tourism with this highly lucrative market and demonstrates to the Chinese people our state’s intense interest in having them visit.”

The China National Tourism Administration usually certifies only national tourism offices, but since the US has no national office, Nevada was able to get the permit.

NCOT executive director, Bruce Bommarito, said: “We believe tourism between the US and China will be very significant in the future. China has at least 100 million and possibly as many as 300 million people who can afford to travel and it is in Nevada’s economic interest to make every effort to earn their business through tourism.”

Chinese tourism officials say that over 90 per cent of the current 250,000 Chinese people who travel to the US go to Nevada – primarily to LasVegas. Details: www.lasvegasfreedom.co.uk