Students from the Shunde Middle School in Guangdong province, China, visited Jasper last week in a trip organized by Jasper Tourism.

Maggie Davison, CEO of Jasper Tourism, helped organize the trip in a partnership with the Edmonton Economic Team. Davison was in China in June, where she met the 19 students and helped convince Chinese officials that Jasper should be a stop on their tour. The school was planning an exchange to Canada, and thanks to Davison’s convincing, they decided to spend two days in Jasper. 

“They weren’t really sure where they were going to go in Canada,” Davison said. 

The students started out in Vancouver, and arrived in Jasper on July 20. After their days in Jasper they moved on towards Edmonton, first stopping in Drumheller and at a few other destinations. Once in the city, the students will take a two-week course at Grant MacEwan College. 

Davison said that many Chinese schools want to expand their students’ knowledge of western culture.

“Hopefully this will sort of kick off many more educational trips,” Davison said. 

While in Jasper the students participated in a Walk in the Past tour, visited Maligne Canyon, hiked the Cavell Meadows and went horseback riding – a special treat that Davison said they have never experienced. On the final day of their stay in Jasper the students headed to the Icefield Centre to tour the Athabasca Glacier. 

Davison said that Jasper fit in with what the Chinese officials wanted – a truly authentic Canadian experience. She describes the students from Grade 10 and 11 as lovely, and complimented their hard work to qualify for the trip. 

“They worked really hard to be awarded this trip,” Davison said. 

For many of the students it is their first time outside of China. Last year the country gave Canada Approved Destination Status, meaning that Chinese tourists are now allowed to travel to Canada. Before travel was only approved for businesses. Davison said Jasper has yet to see any influx of tourists from China, but with improvements in marketing in the country, and targeting groups, they are beginning to see a change in numbers. She predicts that next year, Jasper will see many more Chinese tourists. 

“More and more people are visiting from China,” Davison said. “Hopefully it all pays off in 2012.”

Jasper Tourism has launched a Chinese website to inform tourists there what they could experience in the Rocky Mountain destination.