Originally Posted by
pinniped
It's interesting...we spent a good part of this summer in Europe
As did I...
And as I posted here
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trav...survey-14.html the Chinese in Paris tend to travel in groups, with little interaction with locals. My friend of Chinese descent did have a few tussles over high end bags, but laughed off the behaviour of her 'family members'. In contrast, most of the really bad behaviour I see and inappropriate dress comes from North Americans. Travel in groups brings its own challenges, but generally they still tend to keep to themselves.
It's generally accepted that the Chinese are saving Paris tourism right now, and they are seen as far less an evil than some other types of tourist.
I don't think that most Chinese tourists expect or demand that people in other languages speak Mandarin, or that signage is in Chinese characters. And as posted earlier, at least the Chinese government recognises issues and is trying to educate their citizens on cultural differences and expectations. (I will say too that most Chinese tourist groups I encounter seem so happy and excited, which is a good thing)
Look at the last few pages of the tipping thread (or many other threads on FT) as an example of the type of behaviour which can make one a badly behaved tourist. Any time I read someone posting 'I paid XXX for my trip, therefore they should do YYY!' or 'I am the customer; they should do what I want!' I cringe. A few missing pieces of cutlery don't bother me in the same way.
One thing is for certain: it's a huge market, and I hope we can attract a lot of those tourists to the U.S. I hope we - and this includes our airports, airlines, border security, etc. - aren't such a**holes to them that they decide to go elsewhere.
I think that ship has sailed. Look around FT for people who say they won't visit the US for the reasons you list, not to mention how many people I know in real life who say the same. I saw how TSA treated groups of Japanese tourists at LAS more than once, and cringed. While the US government and travel industry may be focussing on visas to improve tourism, they need to fix that impression of point of entry first. Waiting 2-3 hours at immigration, and then being yelled at by TSOs before boarding a connecting flight doesn't make a good first impression on visitors.
Originally Posted by
sonofzeus
What's their North American alternative source for 1000 discounted designer labels in one concentrated area like Palm Desert or NE NewJersey? Toronto?
Be careful; the US doesn't have the edge anymore. Companies such as McArthur Glen and Chic Outlet Shops have a string of high end outlet malls across Europe, with brands appealing to Japanese and Chinese tastes. Deutsche Welle actually had a program on the very subject of Chinese tourists starting to discover corners of Germany (which has a number of such high end outlet malls)