"Orlando is very beautiful," said on official in broken English.

The chairman of China's National Tourism Administration was on hand for the ribbon cutting of a new exhibit at Epcot celebrating China's history.

"Tourism provides a very good channel for mutual understanding," he said through a translator.

With a middle class of more than 300 million people, Convention and Visitors Bureau president Gary Sain says China represents a huge opportunity for Orlando business.

"It is projected by the year 2015 that there will be over 100 million Chinese traveling abroad," Sain said. "What we need to do in Orlando is make sure that we get a disproportionate share."

Sain says Chinese tourists stay 17 days on an average trip to the US, spending over $6,000.

Visit Florida has already opened an office in Shanghai, and Sain says he's working hard to get more Chinese tourists to visit Orlando.