Chinese tourists flock to Europe's capital of music

    Updated: 2011-10-31 06:51

    By Tan Zongyang and Guo Anfei (China Daily)

      Comments() Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

     Chinese tourists flock to Europe's capital of music

     

    BEIJING - Shao Yu became fascinated by Austria when she was a little girl after hearing melodies echo in the Musikverein Golden Hall during a television broadcast of Vienna's New Year Concert.

    As a student of the piano and a symphony orchestra fan, the 23-year-old made a journey to Vienna, the European capital of classical music, five years ago.

    "The garden of Schonbrunn Palace is as beautiful as a painting," she recalled. "I was also thrilled to see swans on the Danube, which I remember seeing on TV."

    Impressed by the tranquility and neatness of Austria, Shao, who grew up in Beijing, said she cannot wait to visit the country again.

    She is among the many tourists planning a trip to Austria, a nation that this year celebrates four decades of diplomatic ties with China.

    In 2004, China granted Austria approved destination status, which allowed Chinese nationals to travel to the country in tour groups.

    According to figures from the Austrian National Statistical Office, the number of tourists who had arrived from China reached about 175,000 by the end of August this year, up 49.5 percent compared with the same period last year.

    "Chinese tourists usually travel to Austria and neighboring countries such as Germany and Italy in tour groups," said Bai Jiang, manager of European tourism for China Travel Service in Beijing. "The country is attractive to Chinese visitors for its splendid cultural heritage in classic music and the picturesque natural sceneries."

    Kot Cheung, CEO and managing director of Vienna-based Birke Travel, said the agency has handled a record number of tourists from the Chinese mainland since June. The weakened euro has made trips to Austria cheaper than before, he added.

    Josef Stockinger at the Austrian National Tourist Office said the rise in Chinese tourists, especially since 2010, has benefit the Austrian economy.

    "Chinese tourists tend to buy souvenirs, jewelry, watches and other luxury products. Swarovski crystals are one of their favorites," he said.

    Chinese tourists are ranked the second biggest spenders in Austria, behind only Russian visitors, Stockinger said, citing statistics from tax refund authorities.

    Jiang Yiyi, director of China Tourism Academy's International Tourism Development Institute, said Austria is one of the top five popular destinations in Europe for Chinese due to its various resources.

    "Besides traditional tours to experience classic music and ancient castles, more Chinese are buying shopping and self-drive tours," Jiang said.

    Given that the number of Chinese tourists has seen an increase, travel agencies are calling for a more liberal visa policy for visitors.

    "Obtaining an entry permit is still a complicated procedure, especially for those who want to travel on an individual basis," Bai said. "We hope the policy can be more favorable to Chinese, as experience suggests most visitors have followed the laws of those destination countries."

    China Daily

     

    中文精品人人永久免费| 成人无码免费一区二区三区| 一本一道av中文字幕无码| 无码人妻少妇伦在线电影| 中文字幕日韩理论在线| 天堂AV无码AV一区二区三区| 亚洲精品中文字幕无码蜜桃| 日韩精品久久无码人妻中文字幕| 黄桃AV无码免费一区二区三区 | 日韩三级中文字幕| 最近的中文字幕在线看视频 | 亚洲AV无码久久精品成人| 中文字幕免费视频一| 无码人妻精品一区二区蜜桃AV| 亚洲va中文字幕无码久久不卡| 最近中文字幕完整版资源 | 日韩久久久久久中文人妻| 无码国产亚洲日韩国精品视频一区二区三区 | 亚洲一级特黄无码片| 精品无码久久久久久午夜| 亚洲日韩国产二区无码| 三上悠亚ssⅰn939无码播放| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕 | 一区二区三区无码高清视频| 无码av免费一区二区三区试看| 日韩亚洲AV无码一区二区不卡| 亚洲AV无码一区二区二三区软件| 国产啪亚洲国产精品无码| 婷婷四虎东京热无码群交双飞视频| 中文字幕在线免费| 亚洲欧美日韩一区高清中文字幕| 日本中文字幕在线| 人妻无码αv中文字幕久久| 亚洲中文字幕无码久久2017| 亚洲无码高清在线观看| 亚洲午夜无码AV毛片久久| 亚洲AV无码一区二区三区国产| 亚洲AV无码乱码在线观看性色扶| 亚洲AV无码成人精品区大在线| 亚洲国产精品无码久久青草| 中文无码vs无码人妻|