Source: www.ft.com
INDONESIA, June 9, 2010: On the Indonesian resort island of Bali, the growing influx of Chinese tourists is not just changing the dynamics of the tourism market, it is also changing the face of God. From the curbside stalls of Kuta Beach to the upscale galleries in Ubud, most of the popular wooden and stone statues and figurines on sale are now carved with the face of Guanyin, the Chinese Buddhist goddess of mercy.
Just a few years ago on this predominantly Hindu island, such carvings almost all depicted Hindu gods like elephant-faced Ganesh or Vishnu riding a winged horse. “Chinese tourists are the future for Bali and we have adapted many things to cater to their tastes,” says Adhi Wijaya, a local tour guide.
Analysts say the almost overnight emergence of the Chinese tourist is the most significant thing to happen to the global tourism market for a generation. Before 2003, the only destinations outside the Asia-Pacific area to which the Chinese government allowed its citizens to travel for leisure were Turkey and Egypt. Since then, Beijing has approved nearly 100 countries as tourism destinations. The US was approved in June 2008, but only for citizens in a handful of China’s largest and most prosperous areas.