Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No point in complaining about it. I am sure the European governments are ecstatic about the surging tourist revenue. If your governments don't want the Chinese, it is easy to issue fewer visas, isn't it? The fact is the contrary. There are more and more Chinese tourists precisely because these countries are doing everything to streamline visa process and makes it easy for Chinese to come.
It is silly to say HK and Macau are overrun by the Chinese. It is like saying Puerto Rico is overrun by Americans in the winter.
Additionally, the Chinese have limited travel experience and only care about large famous places, especially cities. So a good way to avoid them if it bothers you is to stay away from large cities. For example, most Chinese have no idea about Spain outside Barcelona and Madrid. While I as visiting Seville and Granada last year, there were very few Chinese, but they were all over the place holding their large cameras on the streets of Barcelona. In France, they are everywhere in Paris or Nice, but if you go to Antibes, Eze or St Paul de Vence, they are nowhere to be seen. 90% of the few Asians you see are Korean.
We don't have issues of Chinese tourists defacating on the streets here. Must be something to do with very far distances dictating airplane ticket prices keeps the working class end of the tourists out. Similarly in Spain where you have the worst working class British tourists invading Spain, but in the US you get more of the middle class ones. Be careful not to stereotype and apply it to everywhere. The ones who defacate on the street come from the rural peasant class, not the ones born and raised in the first and second tier, or even third tier, cities.
One problem I have with Chinese tourists is that they are obsessed with taking photos/selfies, as if it is the whole point of travelling, to the point of completely disregarding other travelers.
Most Chinese tourists don't know what traveling is about yet, especially international travelling. For them, it is about taking photos of the most famous landmarks, shopping and showing off to friends. They rarely take the time to walk on side streets, learning and appreciating the history and understanding the local culture. I'd say they are 20 years behind the Koreans and more behind savvy western travellers.
We have many Chinese tourists here in Norway. They love shopping, especially for luxury watches. It actually makes sense, as the local currency, NOK, is quite weak at the moment and all foreigners can deduct the 25% VAT. Some stores now have Chinese speaking employees.
An acquaintance of mine rented out his apartment to a Chinese employee of Huawei. He literally trashed the apartment during his stay.
No point in complaining about it. I am sure the European governments are ecstatic about the surging tourist revenue. If your governments don't want the Chinese, it is easy to issue fewer visas, isn't it? The fact is the contrary. There are more and more Chinese tourists precisely because these countries are doing everything to streamline visa process and makes it easy for Chinese to come.
It is silly to say HK and Macau are overrun by the Chinese. It is like saying Puerto Rico is overrun by Americans in the winter.
Additionally, the Chinese have limited travel experience and only care about large famous places, especially cities. So a good way to avoid them if it bothers you is to stay away from large cities. For example, most Chinese have no idea about Spain outside Barcelona and Madrid. While I as visiting Seville and Granada last year, there were very few Chinese, but they were all over the place holding their large cameras on the streets of Barcelona. In France, they are everywhere in Paris or Nice, but if you go to Antibes, Eze or St Paul de Vence, they are nowhere to be seen. 90% of the few Asians you see are Korean.
We get a lot of mainland Chinese tourists here in Vancouver. I haven't seen any " bad " behaviour.
It's a bit of a stereotype that they only travel in large groups.
"Almost half of Chinese visitors to Canada travelled alone. The party size for Chinese visitors has remained relatively stable since 2009. There was a slight increase for those travelling alone, up two percentage points and a decrease for parties of two, down two points in 2012."
It seems that it's mostly adjacent countries that bear the brunt of it. Japan and Thailand have both created guidebooks specifically for Chinese tourists on how to behave while they are in their countries. I'm a little embarrassed for them. There was an incident in Thailand where Chinese tourists who were pushing and shoving almost destroyed a painting which is evidently a national treasure. And then there was the child urinating in front of a store in Japan and the mother thought it was perfectly fine since he was urinating on a plastic bag and not directly on the floor. That made global news.
We were in Spain recently and found the Chinese tourists relatively behaved. Even had Chinese food in Malaga and it was interesting speaking Spanish to the owner from Jiangsi province.
Contrast that with my visit to Macau over the weekend where tons of mainlanders jostled the streets with their face masks and loud voices. It was nice to see the signs stating no smoking (500 MOP fine) - here in mainland you don't see that enforced.
We get a lot of mainland Chinese tourists here in Vancouver. I haven't seen any " bad " behaviour.
It's a bit of a stereotype that they only travel in large groups.
"Almost half of Chinese visitors to Canada travelled alone. The party size for Chinese visitors has remained relatively stable since 2009. There was a slight increase for those travelling alone, up two percentage points and a decrease for parties of two, down two points in 2012."
They have the rep for travelling in large groups because even a few years ago many countries don't even tourist visa to Chinese citizens unless they join an organized tour. Not sure if it is their own fault. I have never done a tour group myself but I can understand those who just start to travel internationally may feel more comfortable doing that - many hardly speak any foreign language including English and the lack of experience and confidence in a foreign country could be daunting. But as far as I know it is changing. My sis-in-law for example have visited multiple countries in Europe with just a couple of her friends. They even rented cars and visited smaller towns and villages.
In terms of social behavior, I agree in general there is a lot to be desired. The key problem is a lot of the Chinese tourists don't know how to respect other people's space, therefore the shoving and loud voice. They don't because they themselves don't get any in China, where it seems normal to use your hands and elbows to push others aside in crowded areas such as subways and hospitals. I get pissed every time, but that's the reality. The worst are people in their 50s or 60s I think. The younger generation tends to be a lot more civilized.
They have the rep for travelling in large groups because even a few years ago many countries don't even tourist visa to Chinese citizens unless they join an organized tour. Not sure if it is their own fault. I have never done a tour group myself but I can understand those who just start to travel internationally may feel more comfortable doing that - many hardly speak any foreign language including English and the lack of experience and confidence in a foreign country could be daunting. But as far as I know it is changing. My sis-in-law for example have visited multiple countries in Europe with just a couple of her friends. They even rented cars and visited smaller towns and villages.
In terms of social behavior, I agree in general there is a lot to be desired. The key problem is a lot of the Chinese tourists don't know how to respect other people's space, therefore the shoving and loud voice. They don't because they themselves don't get any in China, where it seems normal to use your hands and elbows to push others aside in crowded areas such as subways and hospitals. I get pissed every time, but that's the reality. The worst are people in their 50s or 60s I think. The younger generation tends to be a lot more civilized.
I have to admit I was a bit surprised that half now don't travel in groups, for language alone...but...again it's not difficult to find a Cantonese or Mandarin speaker around here.
The only bad behaviour that I noticed wasn't with Chinese tourists, but newcomers getting on the bus. They would push and try to get on first. However, they learn pretty quick that it's rude. Also, people are pretty good at letting an elderly person have a seat. I think they realize that and adapt.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
keeps the working class end of the tourists out. Similarly in Spain where you have the worst working class British tourists invading Spain, but in the US you get more of the middle class ones. Be careful not to stereotype and apply it to everywhere. The ones who defacate on the street come from the rural peasant class, not the ones born and raised in the first and second tier, or even third tier, cities.
