Jaunted

Chinese Tourists Are Finally Revolting!

12/06/2007 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Tourist Traps, Tour Guides, World's Worst Tourists (all tags)

Not that long ago we warned that some groups of Chinese tourists were still learning how to be tourists. But today we want to applaud them for catching on faster than most of us to the reality of organized tours.

This week in Macau, a group of 100 Chinese tourists loudly protested their guided tour when it didn't live up to their expectations. The tourists complained that they were being pressured into buying souvenirs; they wanted to see more historical sites instead. The conflict came to a head when their tour guides refused to allow them back on the coach to get their sweaters when they were taken to a windy beach (presumably to buy more stuff they didn't need).

Riot police had to be called in to calm the tourists down. Nobody knows what happened next, but we can only assume the guides got revenge by taking the group to the most boring historical site available.

Related Stories:
· Tourists Riot Over Shopping Trip [NYT]
· World's Worst Tourists: Chinese in Third Place [Jaunted]
· Macau Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rache's Photos]

0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak

Ye Old Final Exam: Philly Tour Guides Get Schooled

5/31/2007 at 12:00 PM
Tags: Tour Guides (all tags)

Philadelphia is working to lay down the law with, arguably, the most benevolent group out there -- tour guides.

"Bring it on," said Jill Lawrence, a Colonial re-enactor. She said she often corrects tourists' misinformation -- like whether Betsy Ross, the flag-maker who was a three-time widow, killed her husbands. Not true.

Tired of mixed-up dates and embellished biographies of historical figures, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a bill that would require all guides to take a test and pay additional licensing fees, The Times reports. Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and Charleston, S.C., implemented similar regulations years ago.

Forget about the city's public school budget cuts and its failing healthcare for underprivileged children, some retiree might be telling a group from Des Moines that Ben Franklin had 69 illegitimate children. Stop the madness!

0 Comments - Add Yours by ced138