Chinese tourists are golden harbingers

The National Day holiday is round the corner and, if things go like last year, this fall's "Golden Week" too will be a "golden mess". While many Chinese are going to opt for "staycations" (stay at home) during the holiday, a large number will combine the long break with paid holidays to head overseas to avoid the travel madness in the country. Things seem to be in favor of this group, because the yuan is once again on the rise and popular tourist destinations abroad are typically less crowded in early October.

Indeed, the past five years have seen an explosion of overseas travel by Chinese people. Last year, 98 million Chinese traveled abroad - nearly double the 52 million who did so in 2010. This year, the figure is expected to top 100 million.

During his recent visit to the Maldives, President Xi Jinping said: "We should also educate our citizens to be civilized when traveling abroad. Don't litter water bottles, don't destroy their coral reef. Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood." The remark, although made in a lighter vein, partly reflects the growing number of complaints against Chinese tourists. This calls for tourism authorities to take strict measures to ensure that Chinese tourists respect the norms and cultures of the countries and/or regions they visit.

However, if some countries and regions use false cases to demonize Chinese mainland tourists, they will suffer a big loss.

The huge expansion of China's outbound tourism has created a bonanza for retailers and service providers in foreign tourism hotspots. Globetrotting Chinese tourists spent $129 billion last year, and according to a July 2014 Hotel.com China International Travel Monitor Survey, they shelled out an average of $1,000 a day, excluding accommodation costs, while vacationing.