All of China (not just Beijing) is gearing up for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. A rush of tourists will flow into the country, many of those dispersing away from the Olympic venues to tour some of those "I always wanted to see" sites: the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, and the rustic Southwest with its wealth of ethnic culture to explore.
Is China ready? Sure they are pumping billions of dollars into the tourism industry, but building new hotels and paving all the frequently traveled roads is not the solution to the biggest problem facing China's tourism industry: the lack of hospitality.
I just read an article in the Financial Times talking about China's need for qualified hospitality staff. An official of the UK-based World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said China sitll had genuine problems, stating that China still needs to undergo a tremendous training process. He is right, but I think it is actually a little deeper than that.
I want to tread carefully here. My intention is not to trample all over China's identity and beat down their culture, but there is a serious issue, and investing money is not going to fix it.
Chinese pride themselves in their hospitality. Out here in the heavily minority-populated areas, you hear about it all the time, because many of the minorities place even greater importance on proper treatment of their guests. I think we could easily say that the way Chinese guests want to be treated and how foreign guests want to be treated differs. Their "hospitality" is not our "hospitality".
In reality, I have heard innumerable people state that China is one of the most rude and inconsiderate places they have ever visited. It is not, as the tourist official states, a need for training. It is a need for sensitivity on the part of those interacting with tourists. Chinese are incredibly culturally insensitive. Sometimes it is from a lack of exposure to other cultures, and sometimes it is just the over bearing brow beating (from a foreign perspective) of the Chinese culture.
Now, that is just an outsider's view, but we have to remember that the tourists visiting China are just that...outsiders. They do not understand China. They do not understand the yelling. They do not understand the blunt comments.
Sure, I do, and I can handle it, but that is not the point. To satisfy the world's tourists, China will need to do much more than pour money on the problem. It will take time and experience. Most of all, it will take sensitivity.
Pricing plays a key role in the hospitality industry in China, especially for staffing. We try to do the hospitality in a foreign way, but it is just not good enough for the local hospitality venues when it comes to pricing.
Posted by: yiqun | 26 Mar 2007 at 19:14
Do you mean pricing of the products or do you mean the salary paid to hospitality staff? And what do you mean by a "hospitality venue"? Is that just the venue where you do your catering?
It is certainly difficult to adapt to a completely different way of working. You are making an effort to "do it the foreign way" but I think there is a good middle ground somewhere. I think it would be good to be aware of what the foreign customers expect, but it is perfectly acceptable (and even more valuable, I would say) to define your own style. The important factor is that you work hard to "be hospitable". The problem is that so many do not even try. You are certainly headed down the right road.
Foreigners (well, all people) can be awfully picky. You will never please everybody!
Posted by: Cooper Strange | 26 Mar 2007 at 22:28
Oh...and by the way, I took a look at your website, and judging from the professional presentation there and the photos, you really know what you are doing. If I wanted to throw a big party or have an important meeting anywhere near Beijing, I would call you.
Posted by: Cooper Strange | 26 Mar 2007 at 22:38