Come see Utah, Chinese urged

BEIJING — If Chinese tourists in the United States have heard of Salt Lake City, it's probably because they spotted the name of the Utah capital while headed somewhere else.

"Our regular traveling groups always visit Las Vegas from Los Angeles," longtime travel agent Peter Wang said. "We have seen the signs beside the road that say Salt Lake City."

Wang, deputy general manager of Tianjin Classical Holidays International Travel Service, was among some 120 Chinese travel industry officials who attended a presentation about Utah on Wednesday.

The event was part of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s weeklong trade mission to China. Thursday, the delegation of 19 Utah-based businesses and higher education institutions will travel to Shanghai for two final days of meetings with government and business leaders.

After watching three videos showcasing Utah's snow-covered mountains and red rocks, and hearing Huntsman extol the state's wonders in Mandarin, Wang said he could see why Chinese travelers might want to detour to the state.

"The Western movie is very popular here. I think the people would like to know what the real Western United States is," Wang said, suggesting Utah take advantage of being located in the region made famous in films like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" because "it's familiar with the Chinese people."

That's the way the governor and his economic development office hope the Chinese market will see Utah, as a place to experience the wide-open spaces of the wild West.

"There's a great allure to the traditional American West," Huntsman said. "My desire is to promote Utah as the quintessential Western state."

The governor's effort extended beyond the presentation and reception that followed for the industry officials, where bowls of tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole sat next to plates of tuna rolls and grilled duck.

TV and Beijing TV, as well as the national wire service, interviewed Huntsman about Utah — in Mandarin, a language he learned as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The governor's fluency in the difficult language drew repeated applause from the audience and approval from Liu Kezhi, director general of the China National Tourist Administration. "You're not the first governor who has come to promote tourism," Liu said through a translator. "But you're definitely the first governor who came to China to promote your state in Mandarin Chinese."

Still, it won't be easy convincing Chinese tourists that they want to spend less time in big U.S. cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and even Buffalo, where Niagara Falls is a popular stop, Wang said.