A Chinese tourist dons a white cowboy hat at the Calgary airport on Friday. (CBC)

A group of Chinese tourists taking advantage of Canada as an "approved destination" spent a busy day shopping in Banff on Friday.

A decision by China to bestow the approved destination status on Canada was expected to open the gates for tourists from that country, pumping millions of dollars into Canada's tourism industry. The ruling was announced during Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first trip to China last December.

"We are excited because it's easier for people to get a visa for Canada," said Zhiquan Gao, vice-president of China CYTS Tours Holding company, through a translator on Friday. "Before it was difficult. Now we have a chance to visit Canada."

Gao and about 175 Chinese tourists visited Banff on Friday. Some members of the group will also travel to Jasper, Calgary and Edmonton, destinations Travel Alberta is marketing overseas.

"It's a very significant budget and will probably represent the largest budget in the Asian-Pacific market," said Maureen Riley, marketing director of Travel Alberta, of the money being spent to try to attract 100,000 Chinese tourists to Alberta every year by 2015.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, nearly 160,000 Chinese travellers visited Canada last year. Chinese visitors had the highest average length of stay in Canada — 28 nights — and spent more than visitors from any other country — nearly $1,650 each.

Approved destination status is expected to boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50 per cent by 2015, according to a Conference Board of Canada survey.