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One of the biggest changes in the tourism industry in the last decade is the influx of Chinese travelers. According to theWall Street Journal, China’s rising middle class led to 100 million citizens traveling abroad in 2014 with 234 million expected to visit others parts of the world by 2020, spending $422 billion.
So tourist destinations are going to great lengths to make sure their infrastructure is as friendly to Chinese travelers as possible. That’s why, for the first half of May, the cities of Rome and Milan participated in an unusual experiment: they put Chinese police officers on their streets, Sylvia Poggioli reports at NPR.
According to Jim Yardley atthe New York Times, three million Chinese tourists visit Italy per year, drawn by the romance of the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum and pasta carbonara. But the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels have travelers nervous about visiting Europe. Pickpockets and petty criminals have also targeted Chinese travelers who tend to carry large amounts of cash. Often, because of cultural and language divides, Chinese visitors have difficulty finding help after an incident.
That’s why China sent four officers to Italy with two-person squads accompanied by Italian officers patrolling tourist areas in Milan and the Eternal City. The officers do not have the power of arrest, but could refer problems to their Italian counterparts.
www.smithsonianmag.com
So tourist destinations are going to great lengths to make sure their infrastructure is as friendly to Chinese travelers as possible. That’s why, for the first half of May, the cities of Rome and Milan participated in an unusual experiment: they put Chinese police officers on their streets, Sylvia Poggioli reports at NPR.
According to Jim Yardley atthe New York Times, three million Chinese tourists visit Italy per year, drawn by the romance of the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum and pasta carbonara. But the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels have travelers nervous about visiting Europe. Pickpockets and petty criminals have also targeted Chinese travelers who tend to carry large amounts of cash. Often, because of cultural and language divides, Chinese visitors have difficulty finding help after an incident.
That’s why China sent four officers to Italy with two-person squads accompanied by Italian officers patrolling tourist areas in Milan and the Eternal City. The officers do not have the power of arrest, but could refer problems to their Italian counterparts.
Chinese Cops Are Temporarily Patrolling the Streets of Rome and Milan
A new experimental program put international police at Italy's tourist hubs to help the influx of Chinese travelers
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