According to the US Department of Commerce, the average amount spent by a foreign tourist on a trip to the United States is US$4,000. The average spend by a tourist from China meanwhile is US$6,200 — and this amount does not even include the money spent by Chinese tourists on transportation, hotels and restaurants.

For the US tourism industry, Chinese tourists certainly bring the biggest opportunities, says a report from the Communist Party-run People's Daily, noting that the US government estimates that the number of Chinese visitors will double by 2016.

About 1.15 million Chinese tourists visited the United States in 2011 and this number is predicted to reach 1.3 million this year.