The US state of Hawaii signed an agreement with China to boost Chinese travel to the islands, The Associated Press reported today.

The agreement "helps us to continue to spread the word in China about Hawaii," Governor Linda Lingle said. "When they think of a place to visit, we'd like them to think about Hawaii."

Hawaii is eager to lure more of China's increasingly prosperous international travelers to the islands to support the state's tourism industry.

The number of Chinese visitors to the state is already rising -- climbing 34.5 percent in 2004 from the year earlier to 34,216 travelers. But Hawaii captured just a fraction of the roughly 27 million Chinese who traveled overseas that year.

Japan is the single largest source of foreign tourists in Hawaii, with 1.48 million Japanese visiting these islands in 2004.

The governor signed the two-page document for Hawaii while Shao Qiwei, the chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, signed for his organization.

The agreement says the two sides will facilitate travel between China and the United States and outlines a program for Chinese tourism industry professionals to study in Hawaii.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said at the ceremony that Hawaii had important expertise in the fields of tourism planning, management and personnel training.

These skills could "serve as valuable reference for the Chinese tourism industry," she said.

The agreement comes after Lingle led a trade delegation to China in June.

There are obstacles to immediately boosting Chinese visitors to Hawaii, however.

The United States requires Chinese citizens to obtain visas before they arrive. China, meanwhile, has strictly limited overseas visits by its citizens to prevent illegal immigration and foreign currency outflows.

Wu stopped in the islands on her way to Washington for bilateral trade talks.