巴黎装点门面迎接中国人 Paris rolls out the red carpet for Chinese tourists

China hosts the world’s biggest yearly mass migration during Lunar Year/Spring Festival celebrations, but the pushing and shoving involved with returning home doesn’t stop there. The travel rush is also spilling to Europe, where beleaguered economies are hoping to benefit from the bonanza.

一年一度的中国春运是世界上最大规模的人口迁徙。不过，汹涌的人潮不仅淹没了中国人的返乡路，也蔓向欧洲，而困境中的欧洲经济正想借此机会赚上一笔。

Paris is rolling out the red carpet for Chinese tourists as soon as they touch down on French soil.

巴黎的两大机场都已装点一新，等待中国游客的到来。

Airport operator ADP (Aéroports de Paris) plans to organise a lavish “welcome scheme” – its biggest ever for a single nationality – at its Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports designed to help Chinese “feel at home”.

机场运营商巴黎机场（Aéroports de Paris，简称ADP）计划在其奥利(Orly)和戴高乐(Charles de Gaulle)机场，为中国游客安排一场奢华的“迎宾礼”，让他们感到“宾至如归”。这是它迄今为一国国民举行的最盛大的欢迎典礼。

Although Paris is as famous for its brusquenss (the oft-cited anecdote of gar?ons refusing to answer tourists in English being one example) as it is for its sophistication, the fanfare would seem sensible, considering that Chinese are among the most lavish buyers of French goods.

尽管巴黎在无礼方面的名声（一个广为流传的例子是，街上的年轻小伙拒绝用英文为游客指路）不亚于它的世故雅致，但举行这样的迎宾礼似乎是明智之举，因为中国人是法国商品买家中最大方的。

One Chinese jewelry magnate last year wasn’t satisfied buying just Bordeaux wine, so he decided to buy a vineyard complete with its 15th-century chateau. Another tycoon was so mesmerised by Versailles that he recreated the palace back home with imported materials.

去年，一位不满足于只是购买波尔多葡萄酒的中国珠宝大亨决定，买下一整个葡萄园，包括园内一座建于15世纪的庄园。另一位大款对凡尔赛宫入了迷，于是用进口的材料在家乡复制了一个凡尔赛宫。

The ADP plans to deck its airports in Chinese New Year decorations and have an army of smiling Mandarin-speaking officials waiting to hand out red envelopes with a welcome message written by Pierre Graff, the operator’s president.

ADP计划用中国农历新年的装饰品装点两个机场，并安排许多讲普通话的工作人员在机场服务，为到达的中国游客送上微笑和装有APD总裁皮埃尔?格拉夫(Pierre Graff)写的欢迎卡的红包。

The VIP treatment doesn’t stop there. Announcements will be broadcast in both Mandarin and Cantonese, passengers will be offered free guides, reductions on certain luxury items, and even apps for iPhone/Android in Mandarin that will help them organise their travel.

对中国游客的VIP服务不仅仅如此。广播消息将以普通话和广东话播报，中国乘客将收到免费的旅游指南，购买特定奢侈项目将享受折扣，甚至有中文的规划旅游路线的手机应用程序（有iPhone和Android两种版本）可供下载。

The operator has even given guidance to non-staffers such as police officials and cleaners to be “aware” of cultural sensitivities in order to improve serviceability, an ADP spokeswoman told beyondbrics, adding that a research team had been set up to observe Chinese behaviour.

ADP发言人告诉beyondbrics专栏，ADP甚至给非机场工作人员（如警察、清洁工）都发放了指南，提醒他们“注意”文化敏感问题，以提高服务质量。此外，还成立了一个研究小组来观察中国人的行为。

“When our staff return credit cards [after a transaction] or a document to Chinese passengers, they make sure they are given with both hands instead of one,” she said. “In light of the constant rise in the number of arrivals of Chinese tourists in the past five years, the decision to organise the scheme was obvious.”

“我们的工作人员会确保用双手递还信用卡（在刷完卡以后）和文件，而不是用单手，”这位发言人说。“考虑到过去5年里中国游客数量的稳步攀升，我们决定开展这个项目的理由是显而易见的。”

While China’s Communist party has campaigned to put tourists on their best behaviour (via the Spiritual Civilisation Steering Committee) by issuing guidelines against spitting, queue-jumping, eating loudly, or haggling in shops with fixed prices, Parisians and other French people are also adapting.

尽管中国政府一直（通过精神文明建设委员会）努力规范游客行为，发布了游客指南，规范随地吐痰、插队、吃饭时啧啧有声、或在不允许还价的商店里讨价还价等行为，但巴黎人和其他地方的法国人也在努力适应中国人。

France is the top destination for Chinese travellers in Europe with 910,000 arrivals in 2010, according to the latest report from Euromonitor International, which looks at industry trends. Beyond Paris, the lush lavender fields of southern Midi are also popular, in part due to a Chinese television mini-series set in the region.

根据欧睿信息咨询公司(Euromonitor International)最新的行业趋势分析报告，法国是中国游客欧洲游的首选。2010年，有91万人次的中国游客去法国旅游。除巴黎以外，法国南部的薰衣草田也是热门景点，这在一定程度上要归功于一部中国电视连续剧曾在那里取景。

Chinese spent by far the biggest amount in France too – $375m, according to Euromonitor. Chinese are avid shoppers, preferring to fork out on goods – often luxurious ones – rather than hotels and food. In fact, a majority of Chinese tourists visiting Paris stay in cheaper accommodation outside the city.

据欧睿数据，中国游客在法国的消费总额也远远超过了在欧洲其他国家——总额达3.75亿美元。中国游客热衷于购物，在购物（特别是奢侈品）方面比在酒店和餐饮方面更舍得花钱。事实上，来巴黎游玩的大多数中国游客其实都会住在价格更便宜的郊区。

Chinese visitors are clearly enticed by those very French flavours of romance, history, luxury and quality. But competition is hotting up, Euromonitor warned.

法国独有的浪漫气息和历史氛围，以及丰富的奢侈品和高质量的商品，显然对中国游客有很大吸引力。但欧睿警告称，法国将面临更激烈的竞争。

"European countries face a greater deal of competition for Chinese travellers from other Asian destinations, as well as from the US and Australia. It is therefore important for European countries to market Europe in China in order to continue its prestige reputation and to inspire Chinese travellers to pay the higher costs involved in travelling to the region."

“在吸引中国游客方面，欧洲国家面临来自其他亚洲国家的竞争，同时还有来自美国和澳大利亚的竞争。因此，欧洲国家应该在中国推销自己，以保持它们一贯的吸引力，鼓励中国游客从荷包中掏出更多钱。”

So China may come to Europe’s rescue after all. But rather than through the bond market, it’ll be via the baggage reclaim.

所以，中国可能还是会拯救欧洲的，只不过不是通过债券市场，而是通过中国游客带走的一件件行李。