disgraceful Chinese tourist behaviour abroad

Chinese tourists must 'be more polite' says Communist Party official who claims they are harming the country's image abroad

• Vice-prime minister Wang Yang made remarks in People's Daily newspaper
  
• Chinese holidaymakers are the world's biggest spenders abroad
• They contributed $102billion to global economy in the last year alone
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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 12:36 GMT, 18 May 2013 | UPDATED: 14:52 GMT, 18 May 2013

A senior Communist Party official says that 'uncivilised behaviour' by Chinese tourists is harming China's image abroad.

Wang Yang, one of the country's four vice-prime ministers, said holidaymakers should be more polite, singling out talking loudly and spitting as poor behaviour by his fellow citizens.

It was revealed last month that the Chinese are the world's biggest spending tourists, splashing out $102billion on foreign trips in 2012, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

A Communist Party official has warned Chinese tourists to behave better when abroad to stop harming China's image (file photo)

Chinese tourists make 83million trips abroad last year, compared with only 10million in 2000, becoming the single biggest source of global tourism income.

Writing in the official party newspaper People's Daily, Mr Wang said: 'Improving the civilised quality of the citizens and building a good image of Chinese tourists are the obligations of governments at all levels and relevant agencies and companies.'

He said Chinese authorities should 'guide tourists to conscientiously abide by public order and social ethics, respect local religious beliefs and customs, mind their speech and behaviour... and protect the environment'.

 

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However, some Chinese tourists say they are treated 'like second-class citizens' when they are abroad.

'Chinese internet forums were flooded with protests earlier this year when news emerged that a hotel in the Maldives had removed kettles from rooms occupied by Chinese tourists,' said the BBC's Beiijing correspondent Celia Hatton.

'Apparently, the hotel's manager was upset that some Chinese tourists were using boiling water to eat instant noodles in their rooms, instead of spending money in the hotel's restaurants.'

Big spenders: Shoppers from China and the Far East scramble for bargains during the Christmas sales at Selfridges in London's Oxford Street. Chinese travellers spent an incredible $102bn on foreign trips last year