AUG 1 — You may be part of the tour group generation, where holidays involve joining a whirlwind tour with a dozen or so co-travellers. If so, read on.
Infamously referred to as the “Ah Zhen” scandal, yet another video clip surfaced on YouTube this week, showing aforementioned tour guide rail at her clients for not spending enough money at a jewellery store in March
According to a tour guide nicknamed “Ah Zhen”, “It’s you who owe me here, not me owing you. I provided you with food and accommodation but you people will not give. If you don’t repay the debt in this life, you will have to repay it in your next life.”
She also threatened to lock them out of their hotel rooms if they did not spend enough money.
How’s that for an unforgettable holiday?
This incident follows a series of standoffs involving tour guides leading mainland Chinese groups in shopping expeditions in Hong Kong.
The forced-shopping scandal came to light when a member of another tour group died of a heart attack in May after arguing with his tour guide who refused to let him out of a jewellery store.
In each of the cases that have come to light – thanks to videos secretly filmed on mobile phones by other tour members – it appears that the tour guide is a mainland Chinese, some who had migrated to Hong Kong in recent years.
Ah Zhen, whose real name is Li Hau-Chun, explained that in zero- or low- fare tours such as the one that propelled her to infamy, clients pay very little for the tour package. To compensate, the tour company will receive a cut from pre-designated shops at various shopping stops.
In this fashion, the Ah Zhens of Hong Kong will receive a commission based on the sales generated at each store. They do not earn a basic salary and depend on such commissions and tips of HK$50 (RM20) from each tourist.
The bad Press surrounding Hong Kong tour guides has resulted in China’s National Tourism Administration issuing a travel advisory to beware of shopping traps.
Hong Kong’s image as a top destination for mainlanders – who account for 60.7 per cent of tourist arrivals in 2009* – has received a few dents. Can you imagine what Disneyland and Ocean Park would look like devoid of loud, elbow-shoving Chinese tourists?
Mainland Chinese still earn the disdain of locals for their lack of social graces but the fact remains that it is this group that is cash-rich and eager to spend.
Shopkeepers and sales staff are only too happy to entertain Chinese customers who typically zero-in on designer labels, skincare and make-up that are up to 30 per cent cheaper in Hong Kong.
Coming back to the business of exploitative tour guides, why even use one in the first place?
In this digital age we learn everything about our destination with just a few clicks of the mouse. Travel blogs usually give a pretty good idea of what to expect and to avoid, main attractions to visit as well as less-travelled, more authentic experiences to take in.
It is understandable to hire a guide when you are visiting a country with a foreign language, where the signboards make no sense and culture and lifestyle is so alien.
Which is why it is surprising that mainland Chinese seem to enjoy this form of sightseeing. They are after all coming to Hong Kong, where signs are in Chinese, food is similar and public transportation is among the best in the world.
To me, an organised tour often involves a lot of time wasted waiting for other tour members to reassemble, long queues for the toilet and noisy co-travellers.
Personally I would still prefer to explore with a map in hand - and a companion who has done all the legwork. A bonus would be to have a friend or relative living in the country you are visiting give you a personal tour of their favourite haunts. That way we will never have to duel with the Ah Zhens of the world.
* Hong Kong Tourism Commission figures.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
