Dubai to organize a Chinese cultural awareness 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Dubai, the first Arab city that recognized the importance of Chinese tourists, plans to organize a Chinese cultural awareness, social & business communication conference to give better understanding of customs and principles of visitors from China.Dubai has been receiving a huge number of visitors from China since the emirate marketed its possibilities in China during 2009. In 2010, Dubai received 152,000 tourists from China and it doubled in 2011.A study by MasterCard says that an estimated 300,000 Chinese tourists traveled to the UAE in 2011 and spent 334 million. Per capita spending by visitors from China was AED4,092 compared with AED3,477 per average British tourist and AED3,996 per average Kuwaiti tourist, figures showed.

"The UAE has seen a huge rise in the number of tourists from China since 2009 when it gained "approved destination" status from the Chinese government to allow tourist groups there," commented Lucy Chuang, managing director, Global Sino and DCLC.

The conference, organized by the Dubai Chinese Learning Center (DCLC) and The Main Event (TME) will be held on May 23-24. The two-day conference will discuss language, belief and customs; cultural values and attitudes; the Chinese socio-economic environment; social etiquette and protocol; social and business communications; behaviors and needs of the Chinese traveler; negotiating with Chinese customers; dining and entertainment and greetings and introductions. The conference will also cover titles and forms, color symbolism in Chinese culture and the Chinese way of negotiating.