Tourism advocates hope to boost Chinese visits for Canada Day

Local tourism advocates are hoping the arrival of a group of 50 visitors from China on the eve ofCanada Day will herald a new era of Chinese tourism in the nation's capital.

The tourist group was welcomed to Ottawawith a dinner at and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ottawa Tourism and the Chinese tourism company that brought them here.

Chinese tourists are increasingly visiting major Canadian cities an estimated 200,000 Chinese travellers visited Vancouver in 2014 and Ottawa tourism advocates are hoping to capture part of that growth, said Noel Buckley, Ottawa Tourism CEO.

"This is a unique opportunity for Ottawa," said Buckley.

"Celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa is quite a bit different than celebrating Canada Day in any other destination."

The plan is to bring as many as 1,000 Chinese tourists to the city for next year's Canada Day celebrations.

After this year's Canada Day, the tourist group will be heading to the United States to celebrate July 4th.