With this summer's “cityless” by two foreign bloggers, it is easy to see that foreign faces are growing on the road。
The report on the high-quality development of china's entry tourism, published by the china tourism institute, mentioned that in the first half of 2024, more than 14 million foreigners had entered china. Data from the national migration service also show that, by the third quarter, there had been 8,186 foreigners entering the country at various ports, an increase of 48. 8 per cent。
Developments in the tourism industry in previous years have not been clear, and many tour operators have sought alternatives. However, as the number of foreign tourists entering the country increases, so does the demand for foreign-language guided tours, the demand for foreign-language guided tours in many of the popular tourist cities, and the cost of guided tours increases。
It is not easy for new and old people in the guided tour profession to do so, as is the case with chinese guided tours, to translate bilingually for tourists, to answer cultural differences and even to become an international visitor in china。
However, there are still many who see opportunities to consider the feasibility of being guided in foreign languages, and they look forward to opening up a wider world using their language skills and expanding new career possibilities in the light of the trend towards better entry。
"put the test first."
Before becoming a guided guide or a guide in a foreign language, they must first be certified as such. The data show that since 2023, not only has the number of candidates for the guided tour examination reached a new high in some areas, but the number of candidates for advanced education and foreign languages has increased, but the proportion of social candidates has also increased。
While the pass rate has been maintained at 20-30 per cent, the written portion of the chinese and english guided tour qualification examination is identical, and only an english speaking interview is required to obtain an english tour certificate, which is very friendly for language students who have their own language base。
Many language students are beginning to think seriously about the feasibility of applying for a guided tour certificate: the tour licence will remain valid for life, but the ability to find a travel agency or association to be attached to a travel agency or association will depend on the ability of the individual to start the tour. Having said that, when the employment situation is not clear enough for the next generation, a successful qualification also represents the possibility of a career choice。
Thus, the “test first” is a matter for many lost young people at the university level。
The english-language tour certificate was taken long before the extensive attention given to foreign-language tour guides at the university of hangzhou. When he grew up in a tourist city, he wanted to be a guide, but until he went to university, he had the opportunity to realize his childhood dream。
Alai appears to be a particularly buddhist institution compared to the attitude of many people to “capturing life-saving straw”. Initially, he simply thought that he could go abroad with an english-language tour pass, and when he began to prepare for the examination, he felt he had made the right choice。
He found the english guided tour examination to be less difficult than the chinese interview: “for example, the chinese tour interview in hangzhou had to be accompanied by 13 sites, while the english exam required only five”. As a humanist, alai has been involved in many of the examinations before, so he can go to the examination with a little recollection。
More importantly, the examination for an english-language guided tour certificate is accompanied by the chinese and english-language corps. Why don't you just make money and open your eyes while promoting your own language
The tour career of alai has been four years since its first introduction to foreign tourists by friends. At the beginning of last year, he took a french-language tour certificate and is now a chinese-english-french guide dedicated to teaching at the palace. It has become one of alai's most common ways of life to study and to receive foreign travel missions on a part-time basis。
For those working in the field, access to guided tours is more likely to be a good opportunity to renew themselves and to expand career paths. Starting in 2023, andrew, who was a salesman abroad, discovered a gradual change in china's tourism policy and began preparing for the guided tour. Having seven years of study abroad and three years of experience with foreign companies, the english-language guided tour examination was not difficult, and in march this year he officially became a certified official english-language tour guide。
“whether it is the 144-hour transit exemption policy or the unilateral waiver policy for some countries, it seems to me to represent a trend towards more liberal and freer travel.” andrew believed that, in such a context, a good english-language tour guide would give foreign tourists a fuller picture of china's economic and cultural development. That is the direction he is willing to work for。
It's a hard job to travel in foreign languages
In the guided tour industry, most of the practitioners are freelancers, who tend to hang out with between one and two travel agencies and access their clients through travel agency assignments, and some people run their own social media platforms in the hope that they will communicate directly with themselves。
Each time a foreign-language guide talks about its work, the area of comment and the number of interested visitors is comparable, and it is young people who struggle with entry. After all, it was accepted that the work of guided tours in foreign languages was interesting, that time was free and that many foreign friends could be made available, but that the level of income and intensity of such work was a major reason for many to look forward to。
On the market, the daily rate for chinese guides is generally 350-500 dollars, the average for english guides is 600-1,000 dollars a day, and other small-language guides even charge higher fees for guided tours. The apparent difference in income is one of the reasons why many people look forward to the english-language guided tour card。
Uncertainty, however, was the greatest risk to foreign-language guided tours, and all practitioners needed to be extremely sensitive to changes in tourism policy, which, once favourable, would lead to a gradual increase in business, but when tight, it would be almost nothing。
During andrew's exposure to the guided tour, he had already fully felt this uncertainty. “the season is particularly marked. I can now stabilize five or six foreign missions in one month, for a total of 10 to 15 days; by the end of the season, it is likely that most of the month will be without missions.”
The supply and demand channels in the foreign-language tour industry are also not fully accessible: while it may be possible to market customers through online campaigns, introductions by friends or reputations, foreign tourists are not familiar with china's internet platforms and often choose to allow travel agents and websites to assign guided tours, so it is not likely that individual guides will be found by visitors who need them. Even if the travel agency is attached to the new person's tour guide, it may be possible to sit on a bench for a period of time because trust has not been developed with the travel agency。
It is inevitable that when you really start working, you can run and the wind will blow, and it is essential that the guides, whatever the language, say that it is a service industry and that they keep talking and meeting the needs of tourists。
“for example, tourists in malaysia, for example, are almost always required to drink ice water, especially to prepare them for it, and air conditioning is required almost everywhere, even in the worst cases.” the emotional and social experience of guided tours is also tested at each time by people from different countries and regions。
“some of our guests are not willing to respect our indigenous customs and living conditions, and our female practitioners may be more vulnerable to unfair treatment, and some business missions will request that the tour guide be interviewed in advance.” in the view of the guide, the problems encountered in these guided tours may also discourage some young people。
The stone guidelines, with 24 years of mission experience, indicate that while he has indeed witnessed a lot of fresh blood in recent years, in general, young practitioners are still small. “young people who are now in business have linguistic advantages, which is very good, but they may need training and time to settle to know how to get a team together.”
The number of mature chinese-language guides converted to english is relatively small. During the examination for the english guided tour, alai found that there were still many older candidates at the time of the written examination, but that the interview was almost exclusively with young people. In response, ishiji explained that “english guided tours can bring new income and changes in working methods, but most of us are not in the best position to attack language
“we would prefer to do the best in the field we know.”
The meaning of foreign language guides is their interaction
Several guides told journalists that the number of entry groups had been increasing slowly since 2023. In the past, it was only two to three months before she received an immigration mission, almost two or three per month since this year。
In the last month, ishiki has brought four chinese diasporas. He concluded that the number of immigration missions was now at the same level as before 2019. Although he did not intend to be an english-language tour guide, he was keen on the job opportunities of foreign-language guides: “we are sure to attract more and more tourists in a safe and comfortable environment, so the demand for foreign-language tour guides will grow in the future.”
At the same time, thanks to the guidance, the scarcity of small-language guided tours will become even more apparent in the future. “we used to receive tourists in guangdong and indonesia, and there is now a sudden increase in the number of south-east asian countries, so the demand for guided tours in spanish, french, vietnamese, thai, etc.”
The same is true of challenges. Some felt that, with the development of social media platforms, translation software and ai technology, foreign-language guided tours were not competitive。
“i'm also doing ai-related research, but it hasn't had much impact on tour operators at the moment.” alai said. In his view, the service of a guided tour is not just a lecture, but a real person in a foreign country who can follow with confidence, “the sense of interaction is no substitute for technical means”
“it is true that the younger generation may prefer their own exploration.” andrew also explained, but there are now groups of foreign-language guides based on family groups, business groups and the chinese diaspora, ranging from 30 to 80 years of age. By contrast, they would appreciate a better understanding of the cultural background and social practices associated with the country, and would prefer to be helped to plan the entire journey。
As a result, andrew communicates with foreign visitors by telephone before each mission to understand each other's nationality, number, age, specific experience needs, etc., and customizes the lines based on this information and arranges the best options。
For example, in south-east asia, older groups want to see more mountain water and buddhist elements, so they can arrange visits to the big footstones and the great buddha; in order to accommodate the needs of young people, the chungqing technology hall and the happy valley must go; and in europe and america, young people want to specialize in local and home-grown food, and andrew will come up with his own small store。
And as a guide in foreign languages, in addition to explaining every spot, more of the information you can produce is “how the chinese live”. Andrew believes that a deeper link between foreign tourists and a chinese person, and with chinese humanities, may change the image of china that is influenced by stereotypes and erroneous media reports。
Above all, people from different countries understand each other's lives. “this two-way interaction is an opportunity for the future guided tour industry to evolve and become better.” the stone guide says。
