Wake and ache: Chinese tour guide’s rude awakening sparks backlash among dozing tourists
A tour guide in China’s southwestern city of Lijiang has drawn sharp criticism for waking a sleeping tourist on a bus, an incident seen as disrespectful towards travellers. The unidentified woman tourist, who was visiting the region as part of a weekend tour on July 9, was roused from her slumber on the bus by the Chinese tour guide, stirring a debate on respect and expectations within the industry.
The episode, captured in a video by the tourist, shows the Chinese tour guide questioning the act of sleeping on the bus as disrespectful. The tourist expressed her right to rest during uneventful moments, a notion the guide contested, asserting mutual respect should govern their interaction. The exchange also included a discussion on what respect entails, with the guide insisting the bus would only proceed once every tourist was awake. There are no details on the duration of the argument or the delay caused to the tour.
The incident triggered heated online debate, with the Chinese tour guide coming under scrutiny for unreasonably demanding respect. One Internet user pointed out that tourists pay for the travel experience, not to please the guide, while another questioned the guide’s belief in forbidding sleep on the tour bus.
The Lijiang Cultural and Tourism Bureau investigated and found the Chinese tour guide, identified as Zhang, lacked a guiding license and was operating an illegal tour. Following this, Zeng was fined 100,000 yuan, which is equivalent to approximately 476,000 baht, reported KhaoSod.
The woman’s argument, where she emphasized that she paid for the experience, not for offering respect to the guide, raised questions about the rights of travellers. Residents also wondered why the Chinese tour guide felt it appropriate to dictate how tourists should conduct themselves during the journey.
In the video shared by the tourist, the Chinese tour guide said…
“Don’t you think sleeping on the bus means you don’t respect me?”
