Guide in China threatens to abandon tourists in freezing weather
While visiting shops is typical of a tour experience, one guide in China decided to up the ante by threatening to abandon her tourists in freezing weather after they did not spend as much money shopping as she had hoped.
According to Sing Tao Daily, clips of the explosive rant went viral on Chinese social media earlier this month.
The incident happened during a three-day bus tour that started in Chengdu on 2 Feb.
The tour group — which comprised more than 20 individuals including children and the elderly — was bound for Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong.
Guide yells at her tourists for failing to shop
On the first day of the tour, the guide expressed a thinly veiled threat when she noticed that a few tourists in the group did not buy anything from the shop they just visited.
She told them it was fine that they did not go shopping that day as there was no commission.
However, there would be issues if they did not spend money on subsequent days.
Source: Weibo
Those issues soon arose on 5 Feb, as the tour was nearing its end.
In the clip that went viral, the tour guide asked one of the tourists aboard the bus to disembark and leave the tour, despite it snowing outside at -13℃.
During the argument, the tourist even turns around to ask others if they felt pressured to make purchases to stay on the tour. Many agreed that they did feel pressured.
Source: Weibo
The tour guide then told him she no longer wanted to speak to him, even calling him an awful person.
According to Mr Wang, the tourist who recorded the viral exchange, the guide had asked him to sign a departure agreement.
She had also stopped the bus by the roadside for more than 20 minutes before the video.
Mr Wang had told her that he would continue with the tour as long as she didn’t force him to spend money.
Travel authorities investigate incident
The guide allegedly pressured the tourists to buy pricey silver and jade products during the tour.
After the posts went viral, authorities in China launched an investigation into the incident.
They verified that a tour bus had made an unscheduled stop for 25 minutes on the morning of 5 Feb.
The bus then continued to its shopping destination where jade ranging from ¥100 – ¥30,000 (S$18 – S$5,500) was sold. However, none of the tourists made purchases.
The day before, the group had spent ¥980 (S$180) at a store selling silver jewellery.
Authorities say they will conduct a full investigation and any wrongdoing will be punished per the law.
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Featured image adapted from Weibo.
