FN ISI Export Format VR 1.0 PT J TI Culture and Tourism AF Jin, Changling AU Jin, C AB Tourist industry professionals are all in agreement: the potential fo the Chinese market, which represents a total of 1.3 billion inhabitants, is enormous. Forecasts show that 800,000 overnight stays would be made by tourists from the Celestial Empire in 10 years. Due to the rapid economic growth in China, increasing numbers of Chinese people have sufficient income to be able to afford a trip to Europe and Switzerland. But Chinese guests have high hopes and expectations of Switzerland; therefore, Switzerland must adopt the correct from of tact and diplomacy. In terms of succeeding in the tourism industry with Chinese tourists, cultural sensitivity with regard to their needs and expectations plays a key role. Switzerland must understand that China in many ways is very different from the Americas or even Europe and that the Chinese way of thinking must be taken into account when doing business with the People’s Republic of China. The purpose of this paper is to provide general overview of Swiss culture, Chinese culture and the difference of the two countries, and give you the best possible preparation for receiving Chinese guests. ER