The Chinese people have become the biggest travel spenders in the world. Hotels across many nations are noticing. Leaders of hotels and restaurants are trying to attract the “big spenders” by learning about Chinese customs that would entice more attention from the Chinese travelers.
The Chinese economy is an interesting mix of things, one including $102 billion spend on travel abroad in 2012. These findings were from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Why is this happening? Well, because of other market reforms that the Chinese are implementing, people have more free time and income to spend. China has also implemented a relaxed foreign travel restriction policy. China also has tons of citizens. All of these combined have fueled the Chinese growth in other nations, making Chinese tourism an important part of other nation’s economies.
Workers at various hotels and restaurants are learning different Chinese customs that would make travel for Chinese people easier and more appealing to them. They are learning Chinese words and pronunciation of Chinese names. They are also doing small things like putting tea in the hotel rooms. They also do not assign Chinese people into a room that has the number four because it is considered unlucky to them. The list goes on and on about the number of accommodations for the Chinese (Chinese labels, Chinese TV channels, Chinese amenities, etc.).
I think this is a good idea because the Chinese culture is important to the Chinese people. They would feel much more comfortable if they were accommodated, and thus more willing to travel and spend more. If the Chinese people are dominating the travel market, it only seems necessary to accommodate things for them. As an American, I like when I go to a foreign hotel and have English translations of things. It just makes it seem welcoming and easier to get around. The Chinese would appreciate the changes in the hotels and be more willing to travel around the world with those accommodations and with the help of reforms back in their own country making travel easier.
If there is one thing we have learned this semester, it is that the Chinese care about their culture and maintaining their societal beliefs. This article is a real testament to that sense of self-preservation. I feel that it is also a testament to the power of the Chinese market that hotels around the world are bending over backwards to accommodate the growing market.
Also, we have seen a trend of deregulation- from the car industry to the marketing industry, and now the hotel/travel industry. As much as other nations see the benefits of interacting with the Chinese market, the Chinese market, too, sees the greater benefits of allowing this interaction to take place.
I agree with Crawford that it is clear that the Chinese have a great deal of respect for culture and tradition, and do not like drastic changes. While the Chinese are one of the most dominant races of travelers, there are articles out there about their misbehavior as tourists, and there have been recent policy changes addressing this poor publicity. However, the growing Chinese economy and rising incomes should only force the number of Chinese tourists to increase, especially with decreased regulation.