New York City tourism officials have reached a deal with the Chinese government to join a select group of American destinations with permission to promote themselves in the Communist nation.

Under the agreement, the city will not be able to advertise directly to Chinese citizens, but will hire industry representatives to work with local travel agencies and other providers, CEO of the city’s tourism office, George Fertitta, said.

“The mandate for us is to fish where the fish are,” Mr. Fertitta said. “The Asia market is a very important market for us.”

The NYC & Company head was to be in Japan Tuesday as part of a weeklong Asian tour to announce the launch of operations in Shanghai, Tokyo and in Seoul, South Korea. The openings, part of an expansion announced this year, were meant to help reach Mayor Bloomberg’s goal of bringing 50 million tourists to the city each year by 2015.

With the number of Chinese traveling from the mainland each year expected to nearly triple to 100 million people by 2020 — and with China’s growing middle class increasingly able to afford the trip — New York is eager to profit from the burgeoning tourist boom.

The representation in Shanghai is meant in part to help position the city for an anticipated agreement between American officials and the Communist nation that would further ease Chinese travel to America, Mr. Fertitta said.

“When that happens, we want to make sure that everyone sees that our arms are wide open for the Chinese travelers,” said Mr. Fertitta, who is charged with growing an industry that already brings an estimated $24 billion into the city each year.

With the addition of the three new cities, NYC & Company will have doubled its worldwide presence this year to 14 international locations. The other cities added to the roster since January are Madrid, Moscow, Amsterdam, and Stockholm.

The launch in Tokyo is meant in part to counteract the recent slide in the number of Japanese visiting New York, Mr. Fertitta said. From 1999 to 2005, the yearly count of Japanese visitors dropped by 30% to 299,000, and NYC & Company hopes to convince locals that the city is worth a return trip.

Visitors to the city from South Korea, on the other hand, more than doubled from 2000 to 228,000 in 2005. The nation’s growing economy makes Seoul a logical choice for NYC & Company’s expansion, Mr. Fertitta said.