China to track its tourists’ unruly behaviour abroad
Bangkok Post, 7 April 2015
Associated Press – China says it will try to convince its citizens to behave themselves while travelling abroad by requiring authorities back home to keep records of people doing anything illegal or inappropriate while in other countries.
Provincial and national authorities will contact tourists when they return home and work with them on fixing their conduct, the China National Tourism Administration said on its website Monday. Police, customs officers, border control and even bank credit agencies should be contacted if necessary, it said.
Chinese tourists have made headlines recently with their disruptive behaviour while travelling inside and outside the country. Several have opened the cabin doors of planes to protest flight delays. The official China Daily newspaper noted the arrests of three Chinese tourists over the weekend for taking lewd photos while vacationing in Japan.
Higher incomes have allowed millions of Chinese to start taking vacations outside their country in recent years.
The administration said Tuesday in a separate post that ”tourism reflects on the country and the people’s image,” which means that more ”social supervision” of tourists is required.