YANG RONGLIN, a teacher, usually spends his summer holidays in China. This year Mr Yang, who is 50, decided to venture abroad for the first time, booking a two-week coach tour of America. Mr Yang joins a multitude of Chinese tourists venturing overseas. In the first half of this year 38m Chinese took international trips, 18% more than in the same period last year. In 2011 they spent $73 billion while travelling abroad, third only to Germans and Americans.
杨荣林(音译)是一位教师，往年暑假，他都呆在国内。然而今年，年届半百的老杨一改往常，预定了去美国两周的大巴游，决定到国外转一圈。这次他是跟团出国游玩。今年上半年，共计三千八百万中国人到国外度假，这一数字比去年同期增长18%。而中国游客去年海外旅游消费达七百三十亿美元，仅次于德美。
Holidaying abroad is a recent luxury. Not until the early 1990s did the government approve foreign countries as holiday destinations, and a passport was hard for ordinary people to obtain. Now applying for a passport is easier and 140 countries are on the approved list.
近年来出国旅行成为一种奢侈享受。事实上，，在过去，对普通老百姓而言，护照可谓“一证难求”。现如今，申请出国护照省事多了，出境旅游目的地国家也达到了140个。
Competition to lure Chinese tourists has become fierce, says Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia. To give them an edge, Australian hotels have introduced Chinese television channels and congee on the breakfast menu. In July, America announced that it had processed a million tourist visa applications from China since October 2011, an increase of 43% on the same period a year earlier. Foreign governments know that Chinese tourists like to splurge: they spend about $6,000 per trip to America, according to the US Travel Association, a third more than the average outlay of other visitors.
澳大利亚旅游局局长安德鲁·麦伊沃说，各国争相招揽中国游客，现在竞争日趋白热化。为胜人一筹，澳洲各酒店引进中国电视频道，早餐餐点中也增加了粥类。今年7月，美国称，自2011年10月起，该国处理的中国游客旅行签证申请已达百万，比2010年同期增长43%。外国政府见识到了中国游客热衷败金挥霍的嗜好，据美国旅游协会统计，赴美中国游客每次出行约消费6000美元，较其他国家游客消费还要多出三分之一。
Some countries, such as Britain, have been slow to capitalise. Last year only 147,000 Chinese tourists visited Britain compared with 1.2m who went to France. So the British have launched a campaign to triple the number of Chinese visitors by 2015. They have also pledged to improve Britain’s onerous visa process. While the Schengen visa system allows holders to visit multiple European countries, Britain requires a separate visa.
一些国家，如英国，还没抓牢这棵摇钱树。去年游览法国的中国游客达一百二十万人，相比之下，赴英旅游的人数仅有十四万七千。由此，英国政府发起活动，要在2015年使中国游客数量翻两番。同时还承诺精简繁琐的签证手续。申根签证系统允许其持有者游览欧洲多国，而英国则使用其独立签证系统。
The way Chinese tourists are travelling is changing too: wearing matching caps and following a guide with a flag are becoming less popular. Younger Chinese tourists are seeking a deeper experience of travel, says Lou Jiajun, a tourism scholar. Even middle-aged travellers want to be more independent. Mr Yang, the teacher, plans next year to hire a car in Belgium. Besides tasting the beer, he says he will take lots of photos. His elderly parents have never been abroad, and they like to see pictures of their son making the most of his freedom.
中国游客的旅游习惯也有所改变。旅游学家刘家俊(音译)说道，现在的人们不怎么喜欢带统一小帽，尾随挥旗导游这一套了。年轻一代旅行者追求更深层次的出游体验。哪怕是中年游客也希望自主性强些。教师老刘计划明年在比利时租车游。他说，在品尝当地啤酒之余，他会多拍些照片回来。老刘年迈的父母未曾踏出过国门一步，他们喜欢看看照片，看看儿子如何尽情享受这份自由。