Sweet and sour Germany
February 23, 2012
Xin Hui seems particularly interested in an 18-piece stainless steel silverware set. She turns the package around and around and lights up when she discovers the "Made in Germany" label.
The 28-year-old is one of a group of 10 looking at household supplies at a souvenirs shop near Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. She is happy with her catch because it's "much cheaper than in China." She places the silverware set in her basket and continues on to the ladles and potato peelers.
"We allow time for shopping in all of our guided tours," says Vanilla Kwo, who has already shown her group many of the German capital's sights. On this cold winter's day, they have seen the Berlin Cathedral, Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstag.
Xin Hui is astounded that Berlin is so empty and there are no skyscrapers. On the other hand, the sidewalks are littered with dog droppings - which she doesn't like at all!
320 euros a day
On average, Chinese tourists will spend about 320 euros a day in Germany. Pots and pans, cosmetics, clothes and cuckoo clothes are what they're most willing to shell out for - especially for German brand names.
Keen to get a slice of the cake, German shop owners have realized that they will sell more by labeling wares in Chinese.
"Hotel managers know that Chinese guests like to have a thermos of hot water in their rooms," says Professor Wolfgang Georg Arlt of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, which studies the travel habits of Chinese tourists. "Some even have Chinese-speaking receptionists."
In the first seven months of 2011 alone, the number of Chinese tourists in Germany rose by over 30 percent to 341,000 and experts expect this figure to increase.
Travel is prestigious
Apart from Berlin, Heidelberg, Munich and - Karl Marx's birthplace - the ancient Roman city of Trier are absolute musts for many Chinese tourists.
So far, it is mainly business travelers, like Xin Hui, who come to Germany. Her company specializes in medical technology and before going on to Hamburg to meet business partners, she wanted to do some sightseeing in the capital.
Thus she is like most Chinese in Europe, who spend an average of 48 hours in Germany before travelling to a different country, and who rarely come to relax. ”They want to see as much as possible in as short a time possible,” says Arlt. "This can be a real ordeal for some groups. Many come because it'' prestigious. Travel is seen to be a good investment, like an expensive watch."
Although in the past, Chinese travelers to Europe tended to come in groups this is changing gradually. "New Chinese tourists," who are mainly young and educated and speak several languages, take more time to discover the continent, says Arlt.
However, Xin Hui, who had never been to Europe before, says she prefers to travel in a group because "there's always a tour guide" and her English is "not that good."
Author: Anja Koch / sb
Editor: Anne Thomas