Most Chinese will not recommend to their friends or family to see specific sights such as monuments or museums, but rather, will tell them not to miss the best spring rolls in town at Wang’s restaurant, or that exquisite Beijing duck. In fact, it would be unthinkable for the Chinese to enjoy something other than Chinese food when on a trip abroad.”
This advice is given in a brochure published by the Hospitality Association of Switzerland and SwissTourism and distributed to local tourism service providers.
Besides the fact that spring rolls and Peking duck are dishes much more favored by foreigners than by the Chinese, such oversimplifying prejudices will not help to provide quality service to Chinese visitors.
Chinese restaurants in China?
To start with, I’ve posed the question “How many Chinese restaurants exist in China?” in an earlier blog. And the correct answer is of course: Zero.
There are for example no European restaurants in Europe, either. There are Italian, Spanish and German restaurants. And if you look more closely, they will in fact be offering Milanese, Andalusian or Bavarian cuisine.
China is bigger than Europe and equally as diverse, with differences that result in having Hunanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese and Sichuanese restaurants in the country (to name a few), but none “Chinese.”
It should also not be forgotten that there are more than 5,000 KFCs, 2,800 McDonalds, 2,300 Starbucks and almost 2,000 Pizza Huts covering all first and second tier and a number of third tier cities in China. Western fast food has become a part of the daily fare even for those who never traveled abroad.
And there is, of course, a huge number of international restaurants offering Japanese, Italian, Lebanese food and more to the urban Chinese.
Younger travelers are bigger foodies
As a young digital marketing manager from Shanghai wrote in an article about Chinese individual travelers: “Granted, Chinese travelers often prefer Chinese food when they travel. However, I don’t think that applies as much to the younger generation of independent travelers. Many of my friends and I are foodies. We travel to eat. Exploring local cuisine is a huge part of exploring a new place to us. It’s something we can’t experience in China and gives us an introduction and better understanding of the local culture.”
A study by IPSOS and WTCF in 2014 found that younger Chinese tourists, as well as those with a high individual income, prefer Western food.
Eating food is not only about tasting new cuisines, it is also about bragging and sharing the experiences with the peers back home, who are also chihuos (foodies). With the help of smartphones and WeChat, pictures of the various dishes are posted online, leading often to the demand to serve all courses of a dinner at the same time. Some Chinese travelers will even take a photo of the menu and upload it to share it with their friends back in China and ask, “What should I order?”
Brand USA data show that fine dining is ranked third among Chinese leisure travelers as the most important reason for visiting the United States, behind only shopping and sightseeing.
But one of the key considerations in choosing Chinese or Western food while traveling isn’t even the food.
Eating together is an important social act in Chinese culture; it enables the definition of hierarchies, gives opportunities to develop contacts and networks, and allows for the opportunity to show off one’s knowledge and ability in ordering and commenting on food, a field which is considered an art form in itself. The experience of an atmosphere where one can share a large number of dishes around a round table in a group is of similar importance to the question of which dishes are consumed.
Different types of Chinese tourists
A group of researchers in 2010 developed a typology of Chinese Tourists’ Tourism Dining Behavior, distinguishing between three types of tourist: observer, browser and participator. Observers are generally interested in trying local food, as they regard tourism dining experiences as a “learning/education opportunity” and a means of exploring the local culture. However, they are sentimentally attached to Chinese food and cannot completely withdraw from it. Browsers regard dining experiences in a casual way, and are not fastidious about food selection when traveling. For this type of tourist, food is not a major concern in gauging the level of satisfaction of a holiday. Finally, participators are those who have great interest in local food. Similar to the observers, they also regard tourism dining experiences as a “learning/education opportunity” and an effective way to explore the local culture. Furthermore, however, they consider the discovering of local food as an indispensable part of an authentic travel experience.
So: Do Chinese always want to eat Chinese food when they are traveling? The answer, unsurprisingly, depends on which kind of Chinese travelers you’re speaking to.
Establishing a gliding scale, it can be said that the more experienced the travelers are internationally and the bigger the city they live in, the less likely are they to opt for a “home away from home” option of Chinese restaurants. However, travel-savvy Chinese travelers might also have some craving for their home cuisine once in a while. As a participant of the 2010 research project said: “I won’t miss the chance to try Australian local food out, but soon, I’ll miss Chinese food again. It’s a long trip. How could I eat local food every day?’’
By Professor Wolfgang Georg Arlt
