U.S. Takes Top Honor at World Travel Fair

June 16, 2011

There’s a new plaque on the wall of the NTA Visit USA Center in Shanghai, China. The United States won first place-the Golden Award-in the "My Dream Destination" competition at the World Travel Fair. Some 3,000 attendees cast votes at the May event for the country that presented the most desirable destination. Switzerland won the silver award in the competition, and Japan took the bronze.

The fair hosted more than 500 exhibitors from 45 countries/regions. The NTA Visit USA Center and U.S. Commercial Service co-hosted the show’s U.S. Pavilion, which housed eight participating organizations from the United States. NTA’s Haybina Hao and David Yu both presented at the event.

"I could not be happier to receive this news," said Hao, NTA’s director of international development. "This award sends a powerful message to the U.S. trade and to our destinations that the Chinese travelers’ dream is to see this country’s diverse and beautiful landscape. It also means we have a lot of work to do to prepare for the big volume of Chinese tourists coming to the United States."