Record number of Chinese tourists coming to Australia
---http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/record-number-of-chinese-tourists-coming-to-australia/4463354
If you think you've noticed an increased number of Chinese tourists around town, you're right.
The number of Chinese tourists coming to Australia increased by 17 per cent last year to 573,000 people, overtaking the British for the first time and making the number of inbound Chinese tourists second only to the number of visiting New Zealanders.
Tourism Australia aims to double the number of Chinese visitors to Australia by 2020, increasing tourism revenue from AUD 4bn to AUD 9bn.
But the race to attract China's middle class isn't just a case of building more six star casinos or luxury shopping malls.
Tracey Holmes, the former anchor for China Central Television, who has lived and worked in China for seven years, told Breakfast this morning that escaping pollution and plastic surgery also rate highly as holiday activities.
"I think this is one thing that a lot of people don't understand about the Chinese: they love the outdoors," Holmes told Breakfast. "They often go hiking in all seasons -- summer, winter and everything in between. They do like to be in the outdoors because they know its the natural environment, they try to escape the pollution of the cities as often as they can, and they do think that Australia offers that."
Cosmetic treatments catering to Chinese insecurities, particularly worries that facial features don't measure up to Western models in advertisements and films, are also on the rise, especially in places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Seoul. Popular procedures include operations to widen the eyes and place a crease across the top eyelid, as well as more drastic alterations to the structure of cheekbones.
"They have a sense that they are flat faced and don't like that. They want to have more bumps and lines and focal points. They like some features to stand out like the Western face. They also like to increase their height, and in some surgeries they put Botox in between the joints of the knees... It really is a huge market and growing exponentially."
However, the rising influence of the Chinese consumer has also meant a rise in the number of Chinese faces in advertisements for luxury goods, which might slow the explosion in cosmetic surgery in years to come.
"We're seeing Chinese supermodels for the first time -- both men and women -- and I guess the proliferation of all cultural aspects of China," Holmes said. "[W]e're starting to have an appreciation of the Chinese face... We've got this two way process happening, and you wonder where the happy medium is going to be."
But the greatest love of the Chinese tourist remains shopping, Holmes said. Perversely, many Chinese consumers distrust Chinese-made luxury goods sold in their own country, fearing rip offs.
"[A] lot of the stuff they buy in China is of course fake and they can't tell the difference. So they're much more comfortable buying the big name brands and the logo brands outside of China."
And despite the rapid rise in English language skills, Chinese tourists overwhelmingly still like to travel in tour groups, fearing the inscrutable Australian accent.
"Despite the fact that there is more English being learnt in China than there are native English speakers in the world, they're quite reluctant to use it and feel quite embarrassed, particularly when an accent comes in. So I think [it's important to] hire Chinese speakers, which people are starting to do in the major hotels, in the shopping centres, making sure there are people they can communicate with."
评论
评论
先把俺爹妈的澳洲户口问题给解决了吧
评论
华人的就业渠道相应增加了
评论
有钱就是爷！
有钱就是牛！
评论
中国游客是真的越来越多啊
评论
让人五味杂陈啊
They have a sense that they are flat faced and don't like that. They want to have more bumps and lines and focal points. They like some features to stand out like the Western face. 只是很少数人有这想法， 看上去像打倒一片了，唉
Perversely, many Chinese consumers distrust Chinese-made luxury goods sold in their own country, fearing rip offs. 虽然是实情，不过还是挺让人难过的。什么时候才能改善让人刮目呢
澳洲中文论坛热点
- 悉尼部份城铁将封闭一年，华人区受影响！只能乘巴士（组图）
- 据《逐日电讯报》报导，从明年年中开始，因为从Bankstown和Sydenham的城铁将因Metro South West革新名目而
- 联邦政客们具有多少房产？
- 据本月早些时分报导，绿党副首领、参议员Mehreen Faruqi已获准在Port Macquarie联系其房产并建造三栋投资联
