During the 10-day trip, the tourists not only visited famous cities such as Berlin, Munich and Heidelberg, but also spent over 10,000 euros each buying German leather, sports wear and other items. They had paid 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) on average for the trip.

Wang Yanguang, an official with China International Travel Service, said he believed Chinese tourists had added vitality to German tourism development.

Beijing insurance agent Wei Pingbo, who had learned a few German sentences, realized his dream of traveling to Europe and brought back a full suitcase.

"Photos and souvenirs help me recall the beautiful memory of the trip. I would also like to bring gifts for colleagues and relatives," he said.

After making several trips to tourism destinations in neighboring countries and regions, more and more Chinese are now keen to see distant parts of Europe.

As the first country to gained Authorized Destination Status (ADS) in the European Union, Germany's promotions in China have been paying off. The German National Tourism Board (GNTB) had carried out promotional activities in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as well as participating in the annual China International Tourism Mart (CITM).

Ursula Schorcher, chairman of the GNTB, often leads delegations to China.

"We're devoted to promoting cultural, city and exhibition tours. We've also found the Chinese have a great interest in learning German, so we will prepare for language tours," she said.

Xu Shengli, chief representative of GNTB China, predicted some 20,000 Chinese people would visit Germany this year, with total overnights stays exceeding 600,000.

Airline companies may be one of the major beneficiaries.

"By code sharing, Lufthansa now has 18 weekly flights from the Chinese mainland to Germany. The number is expected to grow in order to satisfy tourist demand," said Peter Emmerich, chief representative of Lufthansa China.

(China Daily March 6, 2003)