Viva Tours Coordinates First US FAM Trip For China's Largest Airline

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Viva Tours, a Las Vegas-based North American receptive tour operator focused on the rapidly expanding Chinese outbound travel market, is coordinating the first familiarization (FAM) trip to the US sponsored by China Southern Airlines, China's largest airline.

China Southern Airlines and its travel agent partners, CAS Xiamen, selected Viva Tours to develop a FAM trip focused on luxury travel and hospitality experiences in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterey and Carmel, CA. The group includes more than 20 top travel agents from Fujian province, as well as media representatives, executives from China Southern Airlines and representatives from Viva Tours' China office. The group arrives in Las Vegas on Jan. 2 and spends three full days sightseeing in and around the city. The group then travels on Jan. 6 to select cities in California before returning to China on Jan. 10.  

According to John Lin, chief operating officer of Viva Tours, the company is honored to have been selected to coordinate this important and breakthrough FAM trip which is destined to open up Fujian Province and Southern China to some of America's most desired destinations. "Hosting this trip is another important milestone in positioning Viva Tours as the leading premium travel manager focused on the Chinese outbound market," Lin said. 

According to Lin, recent visa policy changes to the US are creating unprecedented growth and demand for US travel among affluent Chinese travelers. "Chinese visitation to the US has grown by more than 70 percent in 2012," he said. "The market is exploding thanks to growing affluence in China and the reduction in wait times for travel visas to the US."

Viva Tours is working closely with the LVCVA, Discover Los Angeles and Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau to capture the best luxury experiences each city has to offer.

China Southern Airlines currently has a daily flight with more than 500 passengers on an A380 plane originating from Guangzhou to Los Angeles and is considering expanding its US service. For this luxury focused tour, the attendees are being flown business class and are selected from travel agents and travel media with a focus on affluent clientele and high-end travel. CAS Xiamen is one of the top three travel agents in Xiamen and Fujian provinces, specializing in business and government groups.

About Viva Tours:
Viva Tours is a North American receptive tour operator founded in 2012 by Tom Arasi, Jeffrey Fine, John Lin, Ameesh Patel and Seth Schorr. The company is focused on the rapidly expanding Chinese outbound travel market, specifically the growing affluent and wealthy segment of Chinese travelers.  Viva Tours' management has extensive experience in the hospitality and travel management industries as well as significant history operating in Asia. In addition, select principals have been based in Las Vegas for generations in the media, hospitality, and real estate industries. Viva Tours has offices in Las Vegas, Nevada and Shanghai and Beijing, People's Republic of China (PRC).

About China Southern Airlines:
China Southern Airlines Company Limited (SSE: 600029, SEHK: 1055, NYSE: ZNH) is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It is the world's sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried, and Asia's largest airline in terms of both fleet size and passengers carried. It is also the fourth-largest airline in the world in domestic passenger traffic and the sixth-largest in scheduled domestic passenger-kilometres flown. In 2010, China Southern Airlines carried 76.5 million domestic and international passengers. China Southern was the first Chinese airline to order Airbus A380 aircraft. From its main hubs at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport, the airline flies to 121 destinations using a fleet of 422 aircraft.

SOURCE Viva Tours