They spend their newly acquired money freely and are already the third-largest group of tourists abroad — Chinese business travellers and package tourists are becoming a lucrative source of income for the troubled German tourism industry.

No Black Forest trip is complete without a Drubba cuckoo clock factory tour

And further easing of travel restrictions is expected to accelerate that growth in coming years.

"Chinese tourists come to Germany to go shopping, and they especially like apparel," says the Dusseldorf-based Global Refund Corporation, which handles duty-free and VAT accounts for many merchants.

On average, a Chinese tourist spends just over EUR 200 for clothes while on a package tour of Germany, says Global Refund.

That totals up to about EUR 42 million a year, with a third of that amount spent primarily in Frankfurt, which is Europe's major air hub. Cologne and Munich are also major tourist destinations for Chinese travellers.

*quote1*Language is a major stumbling block in Germany. While most major hotels and shops in big tourist centres in Germany can manage a smattering of English, French, Italian or other languages, virtually nobody speaks Mandarin.

"Consequently, the Chinese traveller often feels that he or she is not getting the same quality of service that others do," says Stefanie Lyngbye of Hamburg-based Caissa Travel Agents

"And while they have money to spend, they are very particular about where they spend it," she adds. "They buy their watches in Switzerland and they buy their perfume in Paris. They won't buy a French perfume in Germany or Italy."

While package tours from other countries tend to focus on sightseeing, Chinese tour itineraries also include shopping excursions. No trip to the Black Forest is complete with a tour of the Drubba cuckoo clock factory on Lake Titisee or to the Hugo Boss factory outlet in Metzingen.

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