Don't spit or talk loudly in public places. Wait in line. Eat
quietly.
These are just a few of the guidelines for outbound travelers
that'll be included in a nationwide campaign getting underway this
month designed to encourage people to mind their manners when they
travel at home or abroad.
Posters, brochures and TV ads promoting the campaign and its new
symbol will appear at bus and railway stations and airports during
the Spring Festival. This is a time of year when
millions of Chinese traditionally travel in the country. It starts
on February 18.?
The campaign's organizers will also meet and discuss the
guidelines with the first outbound tourist group to travel during
the Spring Festival holiday, said Li Renzhi, a senior official of
the China National Tourism Administration speaking at a press
conference yesterday.
The administration along with the Spiritual Civilization
Steering Committee of the Communist Party of China's Central
Committee and nine other government departments launched the
campaign last August.
They sought advice from the public in compiling the guidelines
and in the end received 30,000 suggestions from both home and
abroad. Over three million have participated in the
debate.?
China's tourism industry has developed rapidly in recent years
but "the behavior of some Chinese travelers is not compatible with
the nation's economic strength and its growing international
status," said the committee in a circular.
Last year there were 34.5 million overseas journeys and 1.4
billion domestic trips, according to the administration. The World
Tourism Organization has predicted the number of Chinese outbound
travelers would hit 100 million by 2020.
It has been reported that many tourists behave improperly in
public places.
"The most typical improper behavior involves spitting and
talking loudly in public places," said Liang Yuan, manager of the
outbound tourism marketing department of China Travel
International. "Some tourists also take pictures regardless of
whether they are permitted and jump over rails despite the 'no
trespassing' signs."
"Polite manners are a reflection of a country's character," she
said. "We'll continue to remind travelers to watch their behavior
and explain to them the social conventions and etiquette of their
destination countries before they depart."
(China Daily February 1, 2007)
