AAA: Chinese Travelers Visit West Palm Beach on Final Leg of 16-Day Tour

NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: For your local media contact visit www.AAA.com/Media Angie LaPlant, director, Media Relations, AAA Auto Club South, (813) 289-5982 office, (813) 728-7188 cell, ALaPlant@AAASouth.com

CHINESE TRAVELERS VISIT WEST PALM BEACH ON FINAL LEG OF U.S. TOUR

16-day “Great American Southern Crossing” one of many creative itineraries specifically designed and operated for the Chinese visitor to America

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (April 27, 2011) - With the Chinese government very much in the limelight among global competitors to the U.S., it is easy to forget the Chinese people are spending their tourism dollars right here in the USA.

In fact Chinese visitors outspend other nationalities when visiting America, spending $6,000 per person on average, according to the U.S. Commercial Service. Their presence here is, indeed, something to celebrate, a fact not lost on AmericanTours International (ATI), the tour developer and AAA Travel, one of the largest travel agencies in the Southeast U.S. Chief executives from both organizations will be among those present to welcome the 45 passengers and show them some southern hospitality when they arrive in West Palm Beach at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Florida is the last stop on the ATI motorcoach adventure that started in San Francisco and traveled through the southwest and across the Deep South to Florida. The tour group heads to Fort Lauderdale next, then Orlando before boarding a flight back to China.

“We are delighted to have in our group thirteen ‘alumni’ from previous tours as returning passengers,” said Noel Hentschel, CEO of ATI. “They all expressed interest in visiting the south and signed up immediately when the itinerary was announced. For the Chinese people, Florida is one of the most frequently requested states to visit.”

“ATI is an industry leader in developing memorable tours like this one that meet the needs and desires of our visitors from overseas,” said John Tomlin, CEO of AAA Auto Club South. “We are delighted to partner with them and to have an opportunity to welcome these 45 passengers to the Sunshine State. We hope they will share their memories back home which will, in turn, encourage more Chinese visitors.”

ATI’s “Great American Southern Crossing” tour is planned to run often throughout the year which will help to boost the economy and sustain and create new jobs in Florida’s number one industry: Tourism.

Founded in 1977, ATI is the largest privately held American-owned inbound/outbound and domestic travel organization and a preferred equity partner of AAA/CAA clubs. ATI annually serves one million visitors from 70 countries, generating $3 billion into the U.S. economy. ATI is headquartered on the West Coast in Los Angeles and the East Coast in Orlando with regional offices in New York, San Francisco, Miami, Honolulu and Beijing.

AAA Travel, with 4.1 million members in Florida, Georgia, Middle/West Tennessee and Puerto Rico is the largest travel agency in the Southeast United States and is one of the top 10 leisure travel agencies in the nation. AAA is the largest membership travel organization in the world with more than 51 million members nationwide.