Two City Council members took advantage of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu by announcing Thursday the passage of a City Council resolution urging the president and the State Department to ease visa restrictions for Chinese visitors.

"We’re definitely seizing the opportunity of the APEC conference to present our united front to our friends in Washington that easing China visa restrictions is one of the most important things the federal government can do to create jobs and stimulate the economy of Hawaii and the entire United States," said Councilman Stanley Chang (Ala Moana-Hawaii Kai).

The average Chinese visitor to Hawaii spends $368 a day, more than double what the average visitor spends per day ($178), Chang said. The Hawaii Tourism Authority estimates 91,000 Chinese visitors will visit Hawaii this year, and Chang said that number could increase tenfold if visa restrictions were lifted.

Chang and Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard held a press conference Thursday at Honolulu Hale to highlight the economic importance to Hawaii and the rest of the country.

The two were among a group of five Council members who introduced Resolution 11-275, which was adopted Nov. 2.

Gabbard said she and Chang, who co-chaired a sister-cities summit with China in Hawaii, heard firsthand about the visa problem from a Chinese delegation from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. "Listening to the hardships they face in trying to foster tourism and other economic opportunities was very eye-opening," she said.

"The middle class and upper class who have the money to spend are going to these other destinations because they can get there, and it’s not about flight time. It’s about ease of travel," she said.

"It appears our current visa policy is somewhat outdated, from a different political time, and I think that’s what we’re calling for today is for our leaders to really ease these visa restrictions to bring them up to date with our global community and our global economy," Gabbard said.

The State Department has only five offices in all of China issuing visas, and 13.3 percent of visitors are refused visas. A waiting period of up to 120 days to get a visa interview and other onerous procedures deter Chinese from visiting Hawaii and other U.S. destinations.

Although Hawaii is one of the most desired locations for Chinese visitors, and is known in China as "the King of Islands," they often travel to other island destinations without the onerous visa restrictions, such as Maldives, Seychelles and Bali, Chang said.

"Especially for the honeymoon, family vacation and meeting incentive markets, the demand is definitely there," Chang said.