Grounding bad jetsetters(2)

Most other countries' globetrotters are middle class with some understanding of different cultures, Liu says.

Liu believes instances of uncivilized behavior should be publicized to remind Chinese they represent their homeland's image overseas and face serious consequences if they act disgracefully.

The National Tourism Administration last year announced plans to develop a system that tracks Chinese tourists' bad behaviors and shares data with airlines, hotels and travel agencies. Offenders may experience difficulties booking flights or accommodations.

The administration will carry out inspections of tour-guide training and actions, and provide guidelines for travelers, especially those who visit neighbors like Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, the administration's supervision and management division head Peng Zhikai says.

"Those who cause disruptions will be held accountable by law," he says.

The Guangzhou Daily named outbound Chinese tourists' Top 10 bad behaviors on Feb 4.

Displaying a nouveau riche mentality topped the list.

Such travelers spend easily but are hard to please.

They expect service providers to be at their beck and call, quickly lose their temper and try to throw their weight around, the report says.

The list also names speaking loudly in public, snapping photos of strangers without consent and littering at scenic spots.

The report argues cultural misunderstandings are the problems' primary source.

Chinese people are accustomed to noisy environments and talking at high volumes, Guangdong-based Nanhu Travel tour guide Tan Chunyong says. Tan's elderly guests from Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou would leave their hotel-room doors open to talk across the halls in Europe. This disturbed other guests and created conflict.

The report points out that speaking loudly is particularly upsetting on Japan's subways, since Japanese venerate quietness in public.

And a lack of understanding about privacy means some Chinese snap photos of foreign children - often to their parents' irritation - or nude beachgoers.

Some try to get away with violating customs laws, believing they can beat the system.

But advanced detection equipment makes this difficult, the report says.

Zimbabwe's Harare International Airport detected three cases of attempted ivory smuggling by Chinese from Jan 14-19, Peking University researcher Shen Xiaolei says.

Less serious are reports from foreign guides that Chinese sometimes request discounts and freebies when shopping.

But the report's good news is that Chinese tourists are increasingly aware of etiquette and knowledgeable about foreign cultures - ultimately meaning they're behaving better.

In other words, the blacklist may prove a short list.