Earlier this month, two Chinese tourists were turned away at Los Angeles International Airport and sent back to China after immigration officials discovered they had a history of “uncivilized behavior.”
The first tourist was repatriated on September 16 while his “close friend” was sent back to Shanghai on September 18. The pair had earned their record for uncivilized behavior after a previous trip to Europe in July. While U.S. customs privacy laws prevents the agency from disclosing what exactly the two tourists did, their classification is mostly related to actions including “damaging cultural relics, gambling, and participating in obscene activities.”
Chinese tourists’ travel and conduct history is tracked by the Records of Uncivilised Tourist Behavior, which is managed by the China National Tourism Administration. The CNTA documents Chinese citizens whose negative conduct is reported via social media, and the perpetrators are subsequently blacklisted to prevent further cultural embarrassment. The agency has also urged other Chinese citizens to shame their fellow tourists if their actions are deemed disgraceful as citizens representing China abroad.
