With the ink on the agreement for Approved Destination Status (ADS) barely dry, the Canadian Tourism Commission has wasted no time in moving swiftly to make the most of this exciting new opportunity to boost tourism from the world's fastest growing outbound tourism market.

The ADS agreement between Canada and China was officially signed June 24th, meaning the CTC and partners will now begin to work together to market Canada directly to the Chinese people.

Said CTC President and CEO Michele McKenzie, "The Chinese estimate that by 2015 there will be 100 million outbound travellers from China. The CTC, along with BC, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and other key partners have been active for several years in jointly developing the China market.  We look forward to continuing this close cooperation and at the same time welcoming new partners as we all work together as an industry to ensure Canada gets its share of visitors in this highly competitive market."

While CTC has been active within China for several years at business to business events, and recently developing a key Meetings and Conventions program, the organization will now have the clout to do a lot more with tour operators to sell Canada directly to China's leisure travellers and show them the extra-ordinary experiences that await them.

A whirl-wind tour for 50 leading Chinese tour operators is already underway in Canada with representatives of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and its Chairman SHAO Qi Wei.

This week, Chinese tour operators are getting to know Ottawa, Victoria, Niagara Falls, Thousand Islands, Richmond and Vancouver, familiarizing themselves with such places as Stanley Park, the Vancouver Convention Centre, Butchart Gardens, Ottawa's Byward Market and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

"This is an important tour that will pay significant dividends in the future. Our Chinese guests will also see some of Canada’s superb facilities and infrastructure that are in place to satisfy their Meetings, Convention & Incentive Travel needs," said McKenzie.

The tour allows the Chinese operators to personally meet with members of the Canadian travel trade and to build business relationships that will be key to promoting Canada in China.