Gu Jia/Shanghai Daily news

China will become a big source of revenue for the tourism sector of Las Vegas, commented a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) trade mission spokesman yesterday in Shanghai.
The city famous for its gambling industry plans to attract over 43 million visitors from home and abroad by 2009, among whom are an expected 63,000 Chinese travelers.
The visiting delegation also disclosed that they are to open negotiations soon with the US government on simplifying the visa application procedure for Chinese citizens.
Statistics provided by LVCVA show that 37.4 million people visited Las Vegas in 2004. The figure is expected to reach 38.2 million this year, which will contribute to an expected 88.6 per cent. occupancy rate at local hotels.
The annual number of Chinese visitors to Las Vegas is put at around 12,000 to 20,000, comprising mainly business travellers.