CHINESE tourists should be more adventurous and get off the beaten track when traveling in Europe, according to the Shanghai-based representatives of a number of European Union countries.

At a China-EU tourism forum on May 22, consular staff from Austria, Bulgaria, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic said Chinese tourists all too often hop, skip and jump across the most popular destinations on the continent: Paris today. Madrid tomorrow. If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium.

Jiri Fryda, vice consul of the Czech Consulate-General, said it's an all too familiar pattern in his own country. Chinese tourists invariably visit the same five Czech cities as they travel in a well-trod triangular route that includes Hungary and Vienna.

"I think the biggest challenge for Chinese tourists is to break this cycle and become explorers," he said. "We would like to show them new places that offer fresh experiences in food and festivities."

Frantisek Reismuller, director of the Czech Tourism China Office, said longer stays would help visitors expand their horizons.

Of course, longer stays and more adventurous itineraries would benefit the tourism industries of many EU countries trying to cash in on one of the world's most rapidly growing source of visitors. As China gradually relaxed restrictions on overseas trips in the past 15 years, millions of Chinese have been bitten by the travel bug.

According to the China Tourism Academy, some 200 million Chinese will be traveling abroad every year by 2020, up from 82 million in 2012.

Europe was the second-largest overseas destination for organized tours out of Shanghai last year. Numbers of group tours rose 79 percent from a year earlier to 335,100. France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, the top four destinations, all showed significant growth in the number of visitors from China.

Irina Beleva, consul-general of Bulgaria in Shanghai, said individual travel is encouraged and itineraries suggested when visa applications are made.

"Young people prefer individual travel, and we think that is great," she said.

Gonzalo Ortiz, the Spanish consul-general in Shanghai, is a veteran traveler himself. He has visited more than 100 countries.

"My advice to young Chinese people is not to make travel too organized," he said.

Take time to relax

Michael Heinz, consul-general of Austria, said Chinese tourists should plan longer trips when possible.

"I wonder if people remember anything about a trip when they do the circuit of 10 cities in 10 days," he said.

The best way to enjoy local culture is to stay awhile, wander around, blend into the daily lifestyle of locals and take the time to relax and absorb, he said.

The consular representatives said visas are no problem. Their consulates-general provide fast and efficient processing, with very few rejections, they said.

"Bulgaria is very open and flexible for tourism," said Beleva, who added that her consulate-general has never rejected a visa application.

Evgenios Kalpyris, consul-general of Greece, said the tourist visa applications processed by his office rose 70 percent last year, and the first four months of this year have recorded an increase of around 66 percent.

For Spain, it takes only five working days to get a visa.

"There is no problem getting a tourist visa for Spain in Shanghai, and we have had no complaints about our service," Ortiz said.

Austria said the average processing time for a visa is around 72 hours, and the consulate provides an appointment system to avoid long queues.

"The rejection rate is only 0.2 percent," Heinz said, and those occur usually when intermediary agencies are involved and make mistakes in paperwork or are found to be cheating.

The consular representatives said their countries provide language-friendly services for Chinese tourists.

"We have more than 100 Bulgarian students who graduate every year from Chinese language studies either in Bulgaria or in China, and we have Chinese tourism companies in Bulgaria," Beleva said. "A Bulgarian tourist company is going to open offices in Beijing and Shanghai."

Reismuller said there are Chinese-language tourist guides in the Czech Republic, and many local shops employ Chinese staff. Information centers also provide services in Chinese.

This year, the EU and China are celebrating the 10th anniversary of a strategic partnership and tourism is a key element of that relationship.

"With the increase of Chinese tourism, the EU is thinking about new approaches, and all consulates in Shanghai are engaged in making the visa and information processes easier," Beleva said.

She said her own country has much to offer. Bulgaria boasts more than 600 mineral springs, ranking second in the world. It also has a rich cultural heritage, like Perperikon, the sacred city of the Thracians and beautiful architecture. The country is renowned for its wine, yoghurt and honey.

Strong services sector

The Greek consul-general portrayed his county as a haven of "spectacular landscapes, pristine beaches, iconic mountains and a mild Mediterranean climate."

He added that Greece has a strong tourism services sector, including hotels, cars, yachts, travel agencies and international airports.

"We Greeks are very hospitable," said Kalpyris. "Greece is designing special policies to attract Chinese tourists and offer them the kind of experiences they want in travel."

Reismuller said the number of Chinese tourists in the Czech Republic is increasing by the year.

In 2012, 145,000 Chinese visited the country.

"We are now establishing a new office in Shanghai in order to better promote the Czech Republic in China," he said.

"Our aim is to promote smaller, less well-known places and to present our country as a land of folk stories. We are quite a romantic country - ideal for honeymoons."

Last year, Austria hosted 355,000 Chinese tourists in Austria, Heinz said.

His country is known for its music, clean air, alpine scenery and historic sites, he said.

Spain has long been a popular destination for Chinese tourists. One survey listed it third in tourism satisfaction among Chinese people, following Canada and Italy.

The glamour of Spain lies in its climate, its food, its football and its music.