Mandarin Mashup July 2, 2012
- Chinese Tourists are Treated Like Royalty at US Hotels - Tourism Review
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- 15 Years After Handover, Hong Kong Is Still Uneasily Chinese - International Business Times
Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Hong Kong on Friday to attend 15 year-anniversary celebrations of its return to China. To his immediate right is outgoing Chief Executive Donald Tsang. Far left is incoming Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Photo from Xinhua.
Sunday, July 1, 2012, is an important date in Hong Kong and in China. Fifteen years ago to the day, one of the last vestiges of the British Empire, the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, was handed back to Chinese sovereignty after 155 years of British rule. On that day in 1997 Hong Kong became a "Special Administrative Region" of China, governed by a chief executive, and relatively much more free than the rest of the country.
Now, a decade and a half later, the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China is as uneasy as it was then, torn between the Western-style freedoms the city enjoys and the closed, but economically successful, system based in Beijing.
Opinions of the mainland in Hong Kong have fluctuated over the years. But some things remain constant.
First, the territory has always drawn large numbers of new migrants from mainland China, both before and after reversion. They come in search of a higher standard of living, excellent healthcare and education and greater freedoms. In recent years these attractions have continued to sustain strong influxes.
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Second, Hong Kong's prosperity has always been linked to its ties with the mainland. The territory remains a funnel for trade, investment and shipping between China and the outside world. In the past several years, that role has largely spared it even as the rest of the globe's leading centers of finance reeled from the global crisis.
The uncertainty now centers not on economics but how close Hong Kongers themselves really want to be to the mainland, politically and socially.
Rising numbers of incoming mainland Chinese are leaving many Hong Kong residents deeply concerned about the future of the territory. Some complain that Hong Kong is being transformed into a luxury shopping destination; others that the process is marginalizing smaller local businesses. Suspicions abound that pregnant mainland women are abusing travel into Hong Kong to give birth to children there, winning new entry rights and increasing burdens on local residents.
A large majority, some 78 percent of Hong Kong respondents, said they opposed replacing traditional Chinese characters (also used in Macau and Taiwan) with simplified Chinese (used on the mainland), according to survey data released by NetEase's data blog. In 2011, 46.5 percent said they could speak Mandarin, an increase of 13.2 percent over the previous decade; Hong Kong's dominant language is Cantonese, which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin.
Those objections -- about threatened language, shifting demographics, maintaining respect for local laws and rising job competition -- appear no different from the complaints that many populations around the world express about immigration and demographic change.
Whether Cantonese is actually dying off is another matter -- many may simply believe picking up Mandarin is an advantage in doing business with mainland companies -- but there are widespread fears that the territory is being consumed by China and losing its uniqueness in the process.
In 1997, only 32.5 percent of Hong Kong respondents said they identified as being "Chinese." In 2008, as many as 51.9 percent said they did so. That year, Sichuan's Wenchuan earthquake and the Olympics probably boosted Hong Kong's empathy with the mainland.
In June 2012, a poll from Hong Kong University revealed that 37 percent of respondents distrusted Beijing, while the number of residents who responded as being Chinese was at its lowest point since 1999. That seemed a major reversal of the psychological convergence which had occurred over past years.
Hu reviewing the Chinee Army's Hong Kong garrison on Friday. The garrison has been used as a public relations tool demonstrating the central government's resolve to protect Hong Kong. Banners behind the troops read "Love the motherland, love Hong Kong, love the garrison." Photo from Xinhua/Ju Peng
Since the British returned the territory to Beijing, the mainland press has described it as "China's Hong Kong," as term that grates on many residents.
Over the past few years, the Chinese has been branded as the world’s most sought after traveler. As a result, major hotel brands are bending over backward to make sure that the Chinese tourist’s needs are met. From congee for breakfast to Mandarin speaking employees, major US Hotels have adjusted to make sure Chinese tourists are satisfied.
Chinese tourists are expected to arrive in American shores in extraordinary numbers. Thanks to the more efficient visa process along side the rising number of middle class Chinese. Hotels have adjusted to make sure that any Chines tourist would feel at home upon checking in. The rooms have hot tea prepared, there is congee for breakfast and employees are trained to speak Mandarin as well.
Marriot and Hilton have gone the extra mile, in fact. No Chinese tourist is allowed to step on any floor of their hotels where a number four is seen because it sounds like the word for death in Mandarin. Robert Armstrong, a reputable sales manager who handles Chinese travelers booking at Waldorf-Astoria New York, feels very relieved that finally, some major hotel groups are already adjusting to the Chinese market.
Last year, over 1 million Chinese tourists visited the US which generated almost 5.7 billion US dollars to the US economy. That marked 36% over 2010’s data. This data came from the Department of Commerce and by 2016, they are looking at 2.6 million Chinese visitors.
As much as people would say Chinese trips to the US are for business, the truth is a big fraction of Chinese tourists going to the US are there for fun and pleasure. They bring along with them a lot of money as well. Statistics has proven than an average Chinese traveler spends over $6,000 per trip. According to Roy Graff, a travel consultant who specializes in Chinese culture, hotels are winning the hearts of the Chinese by adjusting to their needs. Even the slightest details are being thought about like traditional Chinese slippers and tea kettles on all hotel rooms.
Marriot has a choice of Chinese breakfast depending on what part of China a tourist came from. Other Major hotels are being cautious of all actions and demeanor as it might offend a Chinese visitor. They are considering superstitions as well. White is avoided while red is respected because it is known to be lucky. The pecking order of Chinese is recognized by making sure no one is on a higher floor than their masters. Thus, there is indeed a race on who can capture the Chinese tourists’ loyalty. Starwood hotels moved its senior leadership to China for a month. According to Clayton Ruebensaal, Marketing VP for Ritz, it is imperative that leaders know the Chinese at a more personal level to ensure the success of their plans.
The State Department said that Chinese visitors spend over 22 million USD on several Chinese cities and processing visa applications. Last February, the US government released news that Chinese who had a visa in the last 4 years do not need to reapply in person but may do it via courier instead. Thus, a week is enough to process visas for Chinese.
However, experts say that Europe is way ahead the US when it comes to attracting Chinese tourists. Furthermore, Rich Harrill, the director of the Sloan Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center at the University of South Carolina, said that US is not prepared for Chinese tourists given the ill prepared industry wise.
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