Almost every year for more than a decade, tour group operator Carson Zhang guided a delegation of about two dozen Chinese government officials from Guangdong province's forestry administration for a two-week trip through the national parks of California, Tennessee and Georgia in the United States.

Along with presentations about forest fires and trail preservation, the officials enjoyed lobster and steak dinners, went to see Tennessee bluegrass musicians perform and made a stop at one of California's shopping malls.

Zhang's company, American Carson International, catered almost exclusively to government tour groups from Guangdong province. But in the past couple of years, official tourism from that source has been scaled back, Zhang said.