Whether Chinese are less mannered than other tourists is a matter of debate. Over the years, German, Australian and American tourists have sometimes wracked up loathsome reputations, especially when traveling in large tour groups, as many Chinese do.
Part of the backlash has come from the vast numbers of Chinese now traveling. In 2014, more than 100 million Chinese traveled abroad, according to the China National Tourism Administration. A favored destination is Thailand, where more than 4.6 million Chinese visited in 2014, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Within China, there’s a recognition that travel etiquette is lacking. In 2013, the China National Tourism Administration published a 64-page Guidebook for Civilized Tourism, offering advice on everything from queues to bathrooms.
While visiting the Maldives last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered this advice to his countrymen: “Do not leave water bottles everywhere. Do not damage coral reefs. Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood.â€
Earlier this month, a Chinese woman named Tiara Lin published an essay in China’s Global Times newspaper on what she called “insufferable†Chinese travel habits. Lin suggested that some Chinese, such as her mother, are less than sensitive because of their early experiences in life.
“She grew up in a big family with seven siblings, and worked in a state-owned restaurant serving hundreds of comrades at a time during busy services,†she wrote. “The only way she could make herself heard was by shouting over the din, so her ‘normal tone of voice’ would be considered a few decibels too loud overseas.â€
Lin said she appreciates the government’s efforts to encourage better manners but doubted the effectiveness of the recent 64-page guidebook. Such an approach “is sure to miss its target audience, if my mother is anything to go by,†she wrote. “A guidebook would only put her to sleep.†--
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