Chinese tourist mistaken for refugee in Germany
Monday, 10 Aug, 2016
0
A Chinese tourist had an ‘adventure’ he will likely never forget after visiting Germany at the start of a European holiday.
After arriving at Stuttgart Airport in July, he was mistaken for a refugee and ended up in a refugee home for nearly two weeks, according to the Red Cross.
The 31-year-old man had lost his wallet and it was ascertained he ‘needed help,’ Christoph Schluetermann of the German Red Cross said.
He spoke neither German nor English.
He then unwittingly filled out a request for asylum form, following assistance from local authorities, Schluetermann said.
Two days later he was shipped off to a reception centre for refugees and his passport was withheld.
"Machinery kicked into gear from which he couldn’t immediately escape," Schluetermann told DPA news agency.
Eventually staff suspected a mistake may have occurred as the man was unusually well-dressed.
"He acted so differently to other refugees. He kept trying to talk to people to tell his story but no one could understand him. He kept asking to get his passport back, which is the opposite of what most refugees do," Schluetermann said.
Authorities then sought assistance from a Mandarin translation app and it soon became apparent he was merely visiting Europe on holiday.
"It isn’t how I imagined Europe," the unnamed man reportedly said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events