After 10 days in the world’s most populated country, Kalispell travelers found China to have several connections with sparsely populated Montana.

A group of 200 people returned April 18 from the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce trip to China.

They experienced a blend of historic culture, modern development, government affairs and business networking opportunities that could lead to a new exporting destination for Flathead business owners.

The group traveled to iconic sites such as the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They traveled by boat, bus and rickshaw around heavily urbanized areas.

Perhaps the biggest highlightwas meeting Max Baucus, U.S. Ambassador to China and former U.S. senator for Montana.

Kalispell Chamber President Joe Unterreiner said the trip was eye-opening considering the scale of growth in China’s developed areas.

“What really impressed people was the level of development and infrastructure,” Unterreiner said. “In a country of 1.4 billion people, just the scale of the what’s going on is amazing compared to a state like Montana.”

Unterreiner traveled to China in 2009 and the development in the last seven years was tangible, he said. Landscaping and buildings now surround archaeological sites once designated as open space. He found the new buildings and infrastructure throughout China’s most populated cities inspiring.

“I think you take in the culture and you see how you have to keep pushing forward in your country and society,” he said.

A keynote of the Chinese tour, Flathead travelers got a chance to connect with Baucus. They asked Baucus about daily life in China and if his job still connects to Montana. Baucus told them about the display he has planned for the embassy for this year’s National Park Centennial.

When asking for advice for the younger travelers that reached the U.S. Embassy in China, one key point stuck with Unterreiner.

“This is a country to get to know,” Baucus told them. “They are an influential trading partner and a world player. It’s going to be a major factor in the future.”

While much of the tour was spent looking through China’s rich historic sites, several days were set aside for business networking.

Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, set up appointments prior to the trip to open the conversation with business leaders. She spoke with five different tourism companies that send travelers to the United States.

“We talked about who their customers are and if they are interested in adding us to their travel list,” Medler said.

Medler said tourism in the Flathead would better suit individuals or small groups. This is because there are no translation services in the Flathead Valley. If a large group were to come, she said, the Convention and Visitor Bureau would have to reach out to service providers in a larger metropolitan area.

“Typically when Chinese come to America, the first trip would be to New York or L.A.,” Medler said. “The third visit would be the West and the wild spaces.”

Working with tourism companies that already advertise tours to outdoor attractions in the Banff, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon national parks, Medler composed a two-page brochure promoting Glacier National Park with Kalispell as the base camp.

In recent years, Chinese travelers are becoming rapidly more sophisticated on the areas between New York and Los Angeles, Medler said.

“They’re becoming more aware of the United States, moving away from big package tours and moving toward the fly-and-drive products,” she said.

Medler said she has been in touch with these tourism companies since returning to Montana. If plans for future tourism agreements proceed, Chinese tourism to the Flathead could come as early as next summer.

Unterreiner said as the group traveled from destination landmarks to political and business strongholds, the caravan of Montanans shared similar experiences. He said he’s looking forward to the next China trip, set for spring 2017.

“It’s a great team-building thing for our market,” Unterreiner said. “For us to all travel together, it shows there’s a camaraderie and a pride in our area.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.