The Traveller's Magazine
No littering. No spitting. No jumping the queue. No defacing historic treasures. These are just some of the new guidelines the Chinese government has issued for its nationals to follow while travelling abroad.
The Chinese central government published the new official conventions Chinese citizens should follow while travelling abroad on their main website this week. While obvious to many, a few seem to have forgotten their manners while on holidays in Egypt.
New regulations prohibit Chinese nationals from climbing on, touching or carving into ancient relics. According to the Chinese government,
“Being a civilised tourist is the obligation of each citizen.”
This doesn’t come out of nowhere of course. The call for better behaviour comes after a 15-year-old Chinese tourist carved his name into the 3,500-year-old stone at the Luxor Temple in Egypt. You can imagine the outrage and anger, not only from Egypt but also from inside China, especially on the web.
Unfortunately for China, the actions of one teenage have got them all into trouble around the world. So how should Chinese tourists behave according to the government?
Every good Chinese tourist…
- follows public orders.
- protects the local ecology.
- maintains a clean environment (that means no littering or spitting).
- respects the rights of others and show courtesy (that means no jumping the queue).
- seeks appropriate entertainment.
- does not climb, touch or carve ones name into ancient relics
An estimated 83 million Chinese tourists travelled the world last year, overtaking Americans and Germans as the most globe-trotting nation.
How do you think foreign tourists should behave in England?
