更好保护中国的海外游客

According to official figures, more than one million Chinese people visit European countries each year. But with the numbers of Chinese tourists abroad continues rising rapidly, so are concerns over the safety of Chinese tourists in Europe.

The recent case of a Chinese tour group being robbed in Italy is by no means an isolated one. Earlier in March, 23 Chinese tourists were robbed shortly after landing at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport outside the French capital. At least four thieves carried out the robbery, stealing the passports, flight tickets and cash collectively held by the tour group's guide Mr. Liu, who was injured in the incident.

"These robbers suddenly came over to me; when I realized what was happening, I tried to tightly hold onto my bag, which contained the passports of all our group members, however, they beat me down to the ground and stole my bag."

Why are more Chinese tourists in Europe getting robbed today? Industry insider says there are several reasons, such as the drastic, highly visible increase in the consumption capability of Chinese tourists in Europe.

Based on statistics from the Global Blue, the total amount of tax refunds for Chinese tourists in Europe reached a record high of 3 billion Euro, or 24.4 billion yuan, in 2012, and Chinese tourists are still the largest buyers' group for the second year running.

Here is Chen Mang, chairman of Caissa Tourist Group in Germany, with more details.

"With the rapid development of China's economy, more than 800,000 tourists and visitors are traveling to Europe every year, and the number keeps growing. Chinese tourists, who are known for taking large amounts of cash with them, are attacked more frequently, especially in recent years, whilst some European countries such as France and Italy are witnessing sluggish economies. According to statistics, more than 20,000 robbing cases occurring in France target tourists from abroad, among which Chinese tourists account for 40 percent."

Chen Mang says his group has been making an active effort to better protect Chinese tourists in Europe.

"In the name of the Association of Chinese Tourists in Europe, we wrote to the French president, Fran?ois Hollande, asking him to pay attention to the security of foreign tourists in France. In addition, our association is to set up several emergency centers within the year in Paris, Vienna, Switzerland, Rome and Frankfort in Germany. Whenever a robbing accident happens in these places, we will provide liaison services for Chinese tourists, such as communication with local police and other related bodies."

More and more Chinese tourists have now learned to avoid taking large amounts of cash and to always carry photocopies of their passports when traveling, but the fear still exists, and it can ruin their entire experience in Europe.

If Europe wants to remain attractive to tourists, its cities need to make visitors feel safe or risk losing them.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.