THE CHINESE ARE COMING

Halfway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Tanger outlet mall appeared in the distance, its towering sign beckoning like an oasis. The people on the bus started to titter with excitement. The author was sitting with 52 Chinese tourists, mostly elderly retirees from Shanghai, and very few of them spoke English. Until a few years ago Chinese tour groups were forbidden from traveling to the US. Then, in 2007, the two countries signed a memorandum that reversed this restriction -- and unleashed a tidal wave of tourism. As more Chinese people join the middle class, they are embracing the concept of leisure travel. Tour groups from China are now ubiquitous in major cities, supplanting Japanese travelers as the world's most sought-after big spenders. Advanced economies are reaping the benefits. The surge in tourist spending offers an elegant solution to one of the economy's structural problems -- a way for the US to tap into the growth in emerging markets while exploiting its own strengths, including its popular culture, its safety, and its large service workforce.