More than 150 Chinese tourists are making their way across O'ahu this week, part of the first wave of organized tour groups from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

The tourists, who are arriving on six flights over several days, are the first to visit Hawai'i since the Chinese and U.S. governments signed a memorandum of understanding in December. The new contract allows travel agencies to market U.S. destinations and eases the process for Chinese tourists to enter the U.S.

Some of those who have had already arrived and have had a chance to do some sightseeing say they believe Hawai'i will become a major tourist destination for Chinese travelers.

"As soon as I got off the plane, I felt very happy and relaxed. The atmosphere here is just different," said Wu Xiaoyun, a lawyer from Beijing. Wu said Hawai'i is "much prettier" than Hainan Island, a vacation spot known to travelers as "the Hawai'i of China."

"As long as it is not too expensive, I'm sure that many travelers will come to Hawai'i," she said during the group's stop at the Pali Lookout yesterday.

Wang Xuzhen, a retired researcher also from Beijing, agreed. "The people here are very friendly toward us. As tourists, we feel very welcome here," she said. Wang hopes to return to Hawai'i in a few months, this time bringing her husband with her.

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority, in collaboration with local tour group Galaxy Tours Inc., provided airport greetings for some visitors, complete with lei, music and hula dancing. Gov. Linda Lingle will welcome the group at a dinner reception tonight at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

In addition to the Pali Lookout, each tour group also is visiting Makapu'u lookout, Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor and key attractions Downtown, including the statue of King Kamehameha.

The anticipated influx of Chinese tourists comes as good news for the U.S., and especially for Hawai'i, which is looking to new markets as it copes with a continuing decline in visitors from Japan.

About 1.3 million Japanese tourists visited Hawai'i in 2007, down from 1.5 million in 2005. The number of Chinese visitors, however, has gone up every year. About 55,000 Chinese tourists visited the state in 2007, compared with 42,500 in 2005 and 25,500 in 2003.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism expects the rising trends to continue, especially in light of the new government agreements. DBEDT forecasts show 85,000 Chinese tourists visiting the Islands in 2008 and 130,000 in 2009.

"Worldwide, the Chinese have become a major tourism force," said HTA president Rex Johnson.

The HTA, which has offices in Shanghai and Beijing, is hoping to draw Chinese travelers to Hawai'i with new marketing campaigns, Johnson said. The organization is currently looking to identify the types of activities Chinese tourists engage in while they are abroad.

"We know that they are big shoppers and golfers, so they fit right into our market categories," he said.

Statistics show that Chinese tourists are big spenders. On average, they spend upward of $6,000 for each visit to the U.S., which is more than the average spending of visitors from any other country, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

The 240 Chinese travelers in the inaugural tour groups, who are also visiting Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia and various California cities, paid about $4,000 each for their U.S. trip.

The first organized tours seem to be drawing more affluent Chinese, many of whom are no stranger to international travel.

Wang, for example has been to more than 20 countries, including Australia, Italy, Canada, France and England. "I have been traveling every year for over 10 years. The only one country I have not been able to visit was the U.S., but now I can say that I have," she said.