14、Chinese tourists
Footfall
Jun 16th 2005 | BICESTER, OXFORDSHIRE From The Economist print edition
An early indication of what Chinese tourists like about Britain
JAPANESE tourists bearing credit cards loaded with yen transformed the fortunes of British tourism in the 1980s, and also rescued a handful of rather fusty British luxury brands. So the arrival of a new supply of Asian tourists, this time from China, is arousing some excitement. At the moment, Chinese visitors can travel to Britain only on business or student visas. But from the end of July, they will be allowed to visit Britain as tourists, thanks to an agreement signed by the British and Chinese governments earlier this year.
What might these people want to do when they are here? An early and rather bizarre indication came this week, when a group of 2,000 door-to-door salespeople who hawk Amway household cleaning products in China were brought to Britain as a reward for flogging exceptional quantities of bottles containing stuff for cleaning sinks. They were not on tourist visas, but their itinerary—London, Oxford, shopping—was more like that of tourists than of the wealthy businessmen and cash-strapped students who can already visit.
The trip took 700 of them to Bicester Village, a collection of designer-outlet stores near Oxford. Though many of the most expensive fashion brands have shops at Bicester, the only place where it was difficult to get through the door was Clarks, makers of frumpy but sensible shoes for British adults and schoolchildren. Some of the shoppers were filling suitcases with the shoes. During a previous Amway visit, the store had to hire security guards to restrict entry to the store. Why the crush?
Oddly, Clarks shoes are apparently seen as luxury items in China. The company reckons that the brand, which has been around since 1825, may be helped by its lingering colonial associations. Its presence in Hong Kong when the Chinese market was opening up may also have allowed it to get its products into smart department stores before the competition: although many of the shoes are made in Guangdong, they are pricier there than in Bicester. Evidently much planning had gone into the shopping expedition: some shoppers brought pieces of string cut to the length of a friend’s shoe to get the size right, others brought cardboard cut-outs of a child’s foot.
The Britons present were bemused by this frenzy, but the incomprehension may be mutual. Market research by Visit Britain, a government agency, says that along with beautiful scenery and bits of castle, Chinese tourists coming to Britain expect to find friendly local people and delicious regional cooking.
14、 日本旅行者带着的存满了日元的信用卡转化成了英国旅游业80年代的巨大财富，并挽救了很多相当陈旧古板的英国奢侈品品牌。因此又一批亚洲旅游者的新鲜跟上，当然这一回是来自中国，同样唤起了一阵骚动。目前，中国游客只能以商务或学生签证赴英旅游。但因为英中两国政府今年早些时候签署了一项协议，从7月底开始，赴英国旅游将被允许。
这些游客们到了英国可能会想做些什么呢?本周就有初步的、甚至奇怪的迹象显现;本周有一行2000人的中国安利日用洗涤用品直销员来到英国，这是作为鼓励洗涤用品销量下滑时出现的瓶装品销量更多的一种鞭策。他们并不持有旅游签证，但路线却是—伦敦、牛津、购物—更像是游客而不像是可能已经到过那里的富商和穷学生。
其中700人途中到了Bicester Village—牛津附近的流行品牌设计师作品打折专卖店。虽然很多最昂贵的时尚品牌都在Bicester Village设有专卖店，但仅有一点就是难以寻得Clarks的踪迹;这个品牌对英国成年人和学龄孩子们来说虽不时髦、却实际耐用。有些商家成箱地出售鞋子。之前的一次安利团队到来时，店铺就不得不雇用保安来限制进入的人数。怎么会这么挤?
很奇怪，Clarks的鞋在中国显然属于奢侈品范畴。Clarks公司估计这个创始于1825年的品牌可以从其不断延续的扩张联合中受益。中国市场刚刚开放时，Clarks就在香港面市，这可能也使其在竞争开始前就稳坐商场时髦商品柜台：尽管很多鞋子都是在广东生产的，却卖上了比Bicester更贵的价格。显然这一场购物探险之旅是包含了很多事先计划的：有些购物者带着很多记录朋友鞋子长度的绳子，来买到合适的尺寸;还有的则拿了依照孩子脚的形状削成的纸板。
英国人正被这一狂潮搞得困惑不已，不过这种不解可能是相互的。一项由政府机构Visit Britain组织的市场调查显示，除了美丽风光和众多城堡以外，中国游客来英国还希望看到友好的当地人和美味的地域美食。
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