China is quickly catching on to this whole capitalism thing. Especially the most important part: Taking vacations. Pent-up desire to see the world via charter tours resulted in 31 million overseas tourists from the Middle Kingdom, a growing trend that is expected to transform the global tourism and leisure industry.

Of course, the Chinese are following in the footsteps of by-now familiar en masse Asian globetrotters:

The last nation to burst on the world travel scene with similar speed and force was Japan, which was enjoying an explosion of prosperity in the 1980’s. Suddenly Japanese could be seen everywhere, especially groups of middle-aged tourists wearing caps and brandishing the latest camera gear, and led, inevitably, by a Japanese tour guide hoisting a flag so that people would not get lost.

The industry responded by placing Japanese-style slippers and bathrobes in hotel rooms, along with Japanese-language television channels. Japanese-speaking staff members also became de rigueur at hotels and fashionable shops. All that for roughly 17 million overseas visits.

The adaptation to Sino sensibilities is already well underway, in some unexpected spots. Karl Marx’s hometown of Trier, Germany is a magnet for Chinese tourism, and the locals have responded to the influx with Chinese language signage.

I can’t wait to see Disneyworld’s Mandarin version of the “It’s a Small World” ride…