Tourists from China, 2

 

Vocabulary

predict	itinerary	high street
gear	inbound	destination
keen	jewelry	rearrange
brand	annually	backwards
attract	fellow (2)	figure out
unique	average	disposable
lavish	obviously	take advantage of
luxury	consumer	accordingly
opt out	outlet (2)	according to
limit	staff (2)	Schengen Zone
carrier	capacity	restriction
tap (2)	gear up

 
 
 
 

Video: Chinese Tourists

 

Transcript

The British High Street, gearing up to be a shopping destination for the Chinese.

Some major stores are now accepting Chinese credit cards because for many tourists, shopping for brands is firmly on the itinerary.

Journalist: “What did you buy?”
Tourist One: “Jewelry, obviously.”
Tourist Two: “Yeah, it’s very cheap; it’s cheaper than in China.”

The inbound tourism from China is still small — around 150,000 visitors this year, compared to the 3.8 million French tourists who visit the UK annually.

So why are British businesses so keen to attract Chinese tourists?

That’s because they’re such big spenders. According to figures from Visit Britain, the average Chinese tourist spends around £1,700 here . . . that’s more than three times the amount spent by the average international visitor.

Dr. Karl Gerth is a fellow in Chinese Studies at Oxford University. His research shows that China’s society has developed a pretty unique type of consumer.

Dr. Karl Gerth, Oxford University: “There’s a lot of people with a lot of disposable income.

You’ve heard of this “four-two-one family” where if you only have one child, work backwards from that: that means you have two parents; you have four grandparents.

All of those people are lavishing money on you. It’s one reason why the average age of luxury consumers in China is lower than other parts of the world.

So if the British wants to take maximum advantage of all of these Chinese tourists, they need to figure out what Chinese people like, and rearrange their businesses accordingly.”

This restaurant in Oxford seems to be doing just that. Staff now serve more Chinese shoppers than British customers, many coming from the nearby designer outlet village.

Sophie Liu, Business Owner: “The customers show me what they are buying — all the famous brands.”

That Britain has opted out of the Schengen Agreement means international visitors need another visa to enter the UK — and that limits numbers coming here.

Carey Fletcher, Chairma: “The visa restrictions certainly is a concern. Also the capacity of the airlines is another issue. We should have that capacity, just like the French and German carriers have.”

It’s predicted that in 2020, the UK will host 300,000 Chinese a year. But with China’s middle-class likely to reach 700 million by then, there is still a huge tourist market to tap.

Questions

1. While in the UK, Chinese tourists only visit the Clock Tower (Big Ben), the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. True or false?

2. “Some major stores are now accepting Chinese credit cards.” Why are they doing this? What can British businesses do to attract more business?

3. Are Chinese tourists similar to French and other tourists? How are they different?

4. Merchandise in the UK are very expensive for the Chinese tourists. Is this right or wrong?

5. “There’s a lot of people with a lot of disposable income.” Why do they have a lot of money to spend?

6. Are there obstacles or barriers to having more Chinese tourists?

7. The potential tourist market is huge. Yes or no?

 

A. Tourism is an important component of my country’s economy. Yes or no? Give examples. Where do they visit? What do they do?

B. Where do the tourists come from?

C. What businesses benefit or profit from tourism?

D. Are more Chinese tourists visiting your country?

E. Does the government encourage more tourists to come and visit?

F. How can businesses and companies promote and develop tourism?

G. What will happen in the future?