Beijing to keep track of its tourists’ unruly behavior abroad

China says it will try to convince its citizens to behave themselves while traveling abroad by requiring authorities back home to keep records of people doing anything illegal or inappropriate while in other countries.
Provincial and national authorities will contact tourists when they return home and work with them on fixing their conduct, the China National Tourism Administration said on its website this week. Police, customs officers, border control and even bank credit agencies should be contacted if necessary, it said.
Chinese tourists have made headlines recently with their disruptive behavior while traveling inside and outside the country. Several have opened the cabin doors of planes to protest flight delays. The official China Daily newspaper noted the arrests of three Chinese tourists over the weekend for taking lewd photos while vacationing in Japan.
Higher incomes have allowed millions of Chinese to start taking vacations outside their country in recent years.
The administration said yesterday in a separate post that “tourism reflects on the country and the people’s image,” which means that more “social supervision” of tourists is required. AP