Although it has taken two years of negotiations to open Chinese group leisure travel to the United States, the travel industry here may not be prepared for a potential bonanza.

“The industry didn’t expect this to take place so soon,” Isabel Hill, deputy director of the Commerce Department’s Office of Travel and Tourism Officials, told GlobalAtlanta by phone from Washington.  “There is a lot of work to do.”

With Delta Air Lines Inc.’s nonstop flight between Atlanta and Shanghai, China, in place, Georgia is positioned to benefit from the memorandum of understanding allowing group tours of Chinese leisure travelers beginning Tuesday, June 17.

Just five days earlier, on Thursday, June 12, the World Trade Center Atlanta is to host the China-Southeastern U.S. Tourism Forum.

At the forum, Kevin Langston, assistant commissioner for tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is to update attendees on Georgia’s preparations for the Chinese tourists.

Ms. Hill, a lead negotiator of the agreement who also is to speak at the forum, applauded the efforts of the World Trade Center to take “this proactive stance” to learn about the benefits of the agreement.

“Atlanta is a good place to start because of the direct access,” she said. “It will take a willingness and an interest on both sides.”

Most immediate, she added, would be the need to provide appropriate signage for Chinese visitors, most of whom will not be English speakers, as well as appropriate brochures to highlight the various points of interest in the state.

The memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Chinese government was nudged along by the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue that began in 2006 to ensure clear communication at the highest levels about the bilateral economic relationship.

The agreement came about because Chinese regulations restricted companies and destinations from organizing and marketing package tours for leisure purposes in countries that do not have so-called “Approved Destination Status” with the Chinese government.

When the memorandum goes into effect, Chinese travel agencies can work with U.S. companies to organize and market packaged group leisure tours to the U.S.  In addition, U.S. travel destinations will be able to market themselves in China.

In the past Chinese travelers who obtained visas were allowed to enter the U.S. as individuals, but groups were only permitted for educational or business purposes.

The visa procedures have not changed. Chinese who wish to participate in the group tours will have to be interviewed individually.  However, the individuals participating in a group may be interviewed sequentially, Ms. Hill said.

Ms. Hill was hesitant to make projections, saying that it would take time to learn what sorts of packages the Chinese travel companies will seek.

But she did note that the number of visitors could be significant.

The Commerce Department forecasts that the U.S. will host some 580,000 Chinese travelers by 2011, an 81 percent increase from 2006.

Ms. Hill also said that the Lexington, Ky.-based National Tour Association has been approved by the Chinese National Tourism Administration to qualify tour operators to work with the Chinese tour groups coming to the U.S.

The association’s president, Lisa Simon, is to participate in the World Trade Center forum.

Other participants in the forum are to include Nick Qin, president of Norcross-based China Professional Tours Inc.; Craig Lesser, chairman of the World Trade Center and managing director of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and Dex Shi, chairman, China Business Committee, World Trade Center.

Xinhong Zhang, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York, has been invited to participate.

The cost to attend the forum that begins at 1 p.m. including panel discussions, a reception and food breaks is $55 for WTCA members and $75 for non-members.