Palau authorities and residents are getting concerned about the alleged inappropriate behavior and habits of Chinese tourists who are visiting the Micronesian archipelago.

The complaints come as many wealthy Chinese seek alternative holiday destinations. Palau residents were surprised when they experienced an influx of Chinese tourists in February. At first, they did not know the connection of this phenomenon to  the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

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During this period, the Chinese accounted for 62 percent of all visitors in Palau. This is an increase of 500 percent year-on-year.

Despite the huge number of arrivals, Palau residents were unhappy. They say many Chinese tourists were loud and disrespectful.

Norman, a taxi driver, said, "They wreck the corrals and throw their rubbish in the sea."

People in Palau were enraged when the Chinese tour operator of the agency, Yellow Skin Tour, recently distributed promotional leaflets showing smiling Chinese tourists holding up turtles out of the water. One picture showed a turtle being held by its flippers.

"This is a very sudden influx, so we are trying to understand the situation," says Nanae Singeo, Managing Director of the Palau Visiting Authority.

Palau's government is now trying to find ways to stem the arrival of Chinese tourists in the archipelago. There are plans to reduce the number of chartered flights arriving from China.

For the Chinese visiting Palau, the country is quite an ideal vacation spot.

Jia Yixin, who is a 30-year-old tourist from Shanghai, says, "In Shanghai, the air is polluted. But here, people respect the environment."

Eighty-five percent of Palau's gross domestic product comes from tourism.

While the arrival of Chinese travelers produce business opportunities and income, authorities in Palau are concerned about the long term effects of these trips on the environment.

In 2014, Chinese holiday travelers recorded to have spent US$163 billion in trips overseas.

TagsChinese Tourists, tourism, Palau, Bad Behavior