Carrie and Those Other Ladies: America’s Ambassadors?

China is booming.  And New York City stands to benefit – through tourist dollars.  The number of Chinese tourists to America – and in particular NYC – is surging, and as Wellington Chen reminds us “There are more English-speaking people in China today than the whole population of the United States and Canada combined, and only a fraction of them have seen New York.”

According to recent IHT article “New York sees big potential in a new wave of Chinese tourists” Chinese tourists have a fondness for visits to Wall Street, Potomac cruises hosted by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, shopping for luxury and/or American brands of clothing, and all things “Sex and the City”.

I’ve always been interested in tourism – but more importantly tourists– What’s on the top of our sightseeing list, and why?  How do we picture the tour destination, and does that picture change after actually visiting?  And what do the top “landmarks” or most well-known cultural references say both about the visited culture and the visitors?

Personally, it troubles me that Carrie and the “Sex and the City” girls, and even good ole’ Mickey Mouse have become the nation’s biggest ambassadors.  (Perhaps I’m a snob though.)  What about US history?  Art?  Architecture?  The mixtures of food and culture that make up New York City?

Some might argue (in particular my French husband) that the US has exported little in the past years that was of any real “Cultural” value.  (Yes, the capital “C” was intended.)  On the other hand, America’s propensity for creating entertainment, and for creating wealth and goods have been until recently almost unparalleled in the past century so perhaps it’s natural that this is what we are known for.  In addition, given this point in the economic cycle for them, many of China’s middle class are probably just ready to shop.

Maybe though, I could start my own tour company and show Chinese tourists the “real New York”.  Though this of course, would be more of my New York than anything else, and I recognize that talking about the reality of any place or culture brings up a lot of complicated questions related to notions of authenticity.

Just for fun though, what about you?  What would your New York look like on such a tour?  Or even, what would your hometown look like?