Ever since it was announced earlier this year that another 27 European countries were to open their doors to Chinese tourists, there has been a lot of curiosity among Chinese citizens wanting to take a peep at the Occidental world. The first group of Chinese tourists to break new ground was greeted in Paris by French tourism officials in September. Since then, tour groups have been flocking west.

The first Chinese tourists were given the "red carpet treatment," said a report from Agence France-Presse. France's junior tourism minister, Leon Bertrand, together with other government officials, welcomed the visitors at the Charles de Gaulle Airport. Wherever they went, they were treated like VIPs. They even visited the Eiffel Tower with Paris' deputy mayor in charge of tourism. In the Louvre, the museum's director received them in person. And each got a certificate to commemorate the history-making tour, much to their delight.

Six travel companies in Beijing co-organized the trip with arrangements from the National Tourism Administration (NTA). Apart from the officially designated "first Chinese tour group to Europe," travel agencies in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong authorized to handle outbound travel have since arranged their own European tour packages. The total number of early birds to see Europe has reached more than 1,000.

Richard Zhang, Manager of the European Section, Outbound Department of China CYTS Tours Holding Co., headed his company's first Europe-bound tour group. CYTS was among the six organizers of the official first tour permitted by the NTA. For two weeks in September, Chinese tourists visited six European countries including Finland, Italy and the Vatican, Austria, Switzerland and France. Zhang said that everyone was, to a great extent, satisfied with the trip.

"In terms of the itinerary, tour guide and accommodation, this group enjoyed much better service than previous ones," the group leader said. "Moreover, we were received warmly by the local tourism boards."

Zhang's group was dubbed "CYTS' first tour group to Europe," and "the first to land on European land." But for Zhang, seeing Europe was really nothing new to him. He has been there countless times, mostly with groups of Chinese business travelers. In fact, he is so familiar with local routes that a coach driver once asked him for directions. However, this time his clients were private citizens, holding Authorized Destination Status (ADS) visas instead of business visas.

For many years, the Chinese Government has kept low profile on the outbound travel industry, while making great efforts to attract foreign travelers. The reason is simple enough. Spending money abroad inevitably results in an outflow of the country's limited foreign exchange. Traditionally, most of the Chinese have chosen Southeast Asia as their tour destinations. There they can buy things at acceptable rates and will not encounter great culture shock. Before travel restrictions were loosened in both China and Europe, only people from powerful corporations and organizations could afford to go to the West.

As China opens wider to the outside world, it is expected to make outbound travel easier for its citizens. Giving the green light for travel to Europe marks a "strategic transition of China's tourism sector," according to China Business Times. Industry experts point out that this signals the country's attempt to lift restrictions in the outbound travel industry. The reason for the change is that China now has a fairly large foreign exchange reserve and that the need for tourism dollars to bolster China's foreign exchange is no longer as great.

It is interesting to note that although the tourism sector was severely hit by the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic, China's foreign exchange reserve continued to grow in 2003. With an increase of US$116.8 million from 2002, hitting a record high that year.

According to Zhang Guangrui, Director of the Tourism Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the outbound travel business is a symbol of the development of the country's national economy and the maturity of its tourism industry. Zhang said China has good reason to promote outbound travel, as it has shaken off the foreign exchange reserve shortage and its currency remains stable. He believes that the opening of the European market will usher in new growth in China's outbound travel business. It also may be conducive to the opening of the US market.

"As the outbound travel business becomes increasingly mature, we will have more and more destinations," agreed Zhang Zhongjian, Director of the Policy and Legal Department of the NTA.

Given the government's nod, travel agencies are rushing to get a slice of the market. However, the high expense prevents many ordinary people from traveling. The price of a European trip can range from 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (US$1,200-US$2,400).

In Richard Zhang's group, each tourist paid 17,200 yuan (about US$2,000), which is no small sum to spend in half a month.

Compared to Chinese tourists to Southeast Asia, Zhang noted that travelers to Europe would generally be much wealthier. The European market is greatly anticipating an influx of Chinese tourists with money to spend.

In a China Daily story, Patricia Tartour, Chairman of French tour operator Maison de la Chine, was quoted as saying, "The infrastructures in France are up to scratch, and the industry is really aware of this new market and waiting for them as if they were Santa Claus."

According to Dun Jidong, Marketing Director of the Outbound Division of the China Travel Service, the price of a European tour will come down in the long run, but a price war is unlikely. The margin for price reductions is very limited in the high-end market.

With prices so high, tourists will naturally expect a perfect trip. However, things can turn out to be different than expected. Some may find fault with the undersized European hotels, many of which do not serve boiled water. Others may dislike the high prices of local souvenir shops. Still others may dislike the way the tour groups are shuttled around by bus, cutting into time that could be spent exploring the culture more intimately. Others may feel alienated by language differences, as there are few signs in Chinese and few Chinese-speaking people.

To dispel the lofty expectations some may have of Europe, Zhang said that the cost of the trip, only some 1,700 euros, would not entitle travelers to luxuries.

What's more, he admitted that to serve a European tour group poses particular challenges for a tour group leader, mainly because of the big differences in customs. He recalled an embarrassing moment when a tourist refused to offer a tip, which is not practical in China but generally a must in the West.

Dining is another headache. Lunch and dinners are taken in Chinese restaurants, but breakfasts are served continental style, Zhang said. The elderly travelers, who would have preferred a warm meal, could hardly stomach the cold milk, bread and sausages. The Western-style dinners specially designed for Chinese visitors ended in failure. When they had dinner at Falciani, a famous restaurant in Florence, where former U.S. President Ronald Reagan once dined, the tourists recoiled from the typical Western-style steak. Back at the hotel, they felt hungry after a dinner that cost them each as much as 40 euros.

There are positive signs, Zhang said. Floor maps in Chinese are available in the Louvre, and on the Seine River cruise, some local employees could say simple Chinese phases.

Zhang hoped that as more Chinese travelers surge into Europe, the hospitality industry will cater to the special needs of Chinese customers and make them feel more at home. Though a travel agency boasts no great power, Zhang said that as a manager in charge of leading tours into this new market, he, along with his colleagues, will try his best to inform clients of the cultural differences.

(Beijing Review November 5, 2004)