Could one Chinese family’s night in Stockholm send a chill through the Swedish economy?
Police treatment of a trio at a hostel in the Scandinavian country has raised hackles in China but will it affect Sweden’s status as a growing destination for Chinese tourists?
Beijing media worker Wang Ming had previously not thought about visiting Sweden – but now he is sure he never will.
“Since a Chinese citizen’s mistreatment at the hands of Swedish police, I have now crossed Sweden off the list of potential travel destinations for me and my family,” said Wang, using a pseudonym. “There’s no need to put ourselves in a strange country and environment that might be uncomfortable.”
Wang’s decision follows a dispute between a Chinese family visiting Stockholm and Swedish police that escalated into a diplomatic incident.
On September 2, a man, identified only by his surname Zeng, and his parents had arrived at the Generator Stockholm hostel in the Swedish capital just after midnight, 14 hours before check-in time.
They were refused permission to wait at the lobby and later forcefully removed from the hostel by Swedish police, according to Zeng. Footage of the man screaming at the police officers outside the hostel was later posted online.
In the days that followed, the Chinese embassy in Sweden condemned the Swedish police’s conduct and warned Chinese visiting the country.
Then on Friday, a news channel on Sweden’s national broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) aired a satirical video listing a number of dos and don’ts for Chinese tourists.