People pose for a photo in front of lantern decorations on Lunar New Year’s Eve at Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 21, 2023. Photo by Reuters
More and more young Chinese people are becoming tour guides amid unstable office job prospects and hopes for tourism booms.
Around 320,000 Chinese people signed up for the country’s tour guide certification exam this year, a 45% increase from 2023, according to China Tourism News. More and more of them have bachelor’s degrees and are majored in foreign languages.
Finding stable jobs amid employment instability, including layoffs in tech and finance, proves to be a challenge for young people, with youth unemployment rate at around 17%, The Straits Times reported.
This has pushed many to seek out part-time jobs or gigs, Bloomberg reported.
Subramania Bhatt, founder of digital marketing firm China Trading Desk, said people are shifting their views on tour guiding, traditionally considered a seasonal job, amid post-Covid recovery. China has observed domestic tourism booms over the past year, and tour guiding is considered a quick and accessible way to earn money from tourists, which requires only a certification exam.
The number of foreign visitors are also rising, though with a slower rate. In the first nine months of this year, the number of inbound traveler trips to China has increased by around 80% compared to the previous year. The figure is still lower than pre-pandemic levels however.
Foreign tour groups, especially those who speak English, often net more profits compared to domestic guides, Bhatt said. More college students are majoring in foreign languages to take tour guide certification exams, he added.
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