Travel guide loses license over abuse of visitors

Travel guide loses license over abuse of visitors
By Xue Wei/Li Yingqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2015-05-04 09:56
Tourism officials in Yunnan province have ordered a travel agency to suspend its operations after a tour guide was videotaped verbally abusing visitors on a bus.
The guide, Chen Chunyan, was angry because she had failed to persuade them to spend freely at scenic spots.
The Yunnan Provincial Commission of Tourism Development said in a statement on Sunday that the authority has revoked Chen's license. The video, shot as the tour bus headed toward the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, has been widely circulated on social media.
The company involved, the Kunming Fenghua Travel Agency, was fined 20,000 yuan ($3,200), and is suspected of committing further violations, the commission said.
An investigation found that the incident took place on April 12, said Liu Kunfeng, head of the commission's law enforcement team. The visitors were on a package tour that included stops in four cities.
"The tour group had traveling back from Lijiang to Kunming and was heading for Xishuangbanna when the incident took place," Liu said.
The video shows the guide venting her frustration on the tourists for their failure to spend enough money at a jewelry shop. She can be heard threatening to cancel the trip to Xishuangbanna and their flight tickets home if they do not spend more at the next stop.
"The bus is prepared for tourists who have moral standards and conscience. If you do not have these, you are not fit to sit here," the guide says in the video, which was posted online on May 1. The guide says she is frustrated because three or four of the tourists spent only 1,000 yuan between them at some scenic spots, while tourists in other groups spent 10,000 yuan or even 50,000 on souvenirs.
"If each of you cannot spend 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, we will cancel the trip. Your flight tickets home will also not be covered in this trip as well," she says. She names a few items that she says the tourists have to purchase at the next stop.
"You need to at least spend for the sake of your conscience. If you cannot do that, there will be retributions coming to you," she adds.
The China National Tourism Administration released a statement on Saturday urging the Yunnan authorities to a launch n investigation as soon as possible.
The law bans agencies from attracting tourists with low prices and then arranging for them to buy goods at scenic spots to earn commission. Agencies are not allowed to designate specific shops where tourists should buy souvenirs, or arrange additional chargeable items during tours.
Beijing allows guide dogs on subway
(Xinhua) Updated: 2015-05-02 08:39
BEIJING - Beijing on Friday started allowing visually impaired passengers to take guide dogs onto the subway, while blind rights advocates continue to urge greater accessibility for the dogs in the city's public transportation system.
The widely praised change was the result of a subway management regulation approved by the Chinese capital last year, which took effect on Friday. The regulation also bans begging, performing and handing out fliers and threatens violators with fines.
Chen Yan, a blind piano tuner and campaigner, got some curious stares from other passengers as she entered the Tiantongyuan station on Line 5 with her guide dog Jenny on Friday.
With the help of subway employees, Chen and her dog entered a carriage designed for disabled passengers and later transferred to Line 2 to arrive at Beijing Railway Station.
Guide dogs are a rare sight in China. Only about 70 guide dogs are in service in the country, which is home to 16.9 million visually impaired people, and the animals are often denied entry to public transportation.
Chen said the city still lacks regulations on bus travel for guide dogs and it is common for them to be turned down by taxi drivers.
Crowdedness on the trains, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, poses another challenge for blind passengers who want to ride the subway with their guide dogs, said a blind translator and campaigner using the nickname "Candie's Mom."
Shanghai and Chengdu have passed similar regulations to allow guide dogs on the subway.。