According to Bloomberg, these young people have high hopes for the strong development of the domestic tourism industry, believing that it will bring them a more stable source of income than traditional office jobs.
This expectation is not without foundation. In the context of many economic fluctuations, the tourism industry, especially domestic tourism, has demonstrated impressive resilience and growth. The increase in the number of domestic tourists means that the demand for tourism services, including tour guides, has also increased.
More and more young people, instead of choosing stable but somewhat boring office jobs, are turning to the tourism sector, specifically becoming tour guides.
This creates many job opportunities and attractive income for those involved in this field. They believe that, instead of sitting at a desk for eight hours a day, they can earn a living by sharing their knowledge and passion for the country's culture, history and landscapes with tourists, while enjoying freedom and flexibility in their work. Moreover, the development of domestic tourism also leads to the development of related service industries such as restaurants, hotels, transportation, etc., creating a vibrant economic ecosystem, bringing benefits to many people.
According to data from China Tourism News, 2024 saw a surge in the number of applicants for China’s annual tour guide certification exam, with around 320,000 people registering. This not only marked an impressive 45% increase from 2023, but also set a new record for the number of candidates taking the exam nationwide. This significant increase shows the growing appeal of the tour guide profession to the Chinese people, especially in the context of the tourism industry recovering strongly from a difficult period.
This change comes from the belief and hope in the strong recovery and boom of China's domestic tourism industry.
More notably, the statistics also show an encouraging trend: more and more candidates with university degrees and foreign language expertise are taking the exam. This shows the increasing professionalism of the tour guide team, who are not only knowledgeable about the local area but also have extensive knowledge and good communication skills in foreign languages, meeting the increasingly diverse needs of tourists, especially international tourists. The emergence of a young, highly educated workforce with good foreign language skills promises to bring a new look to the Chinese tourism industry, contributing to improving service quality and attracting tourists from all over the world.
As China’s economy is undergoing unpredictable fluctuations, the profession of tour guide has emerged as an increasingly popular alternative career choice, attracting the attention of a large number of workers. The job instability, especially in the so-called “hot” fields such as technology and finance, has created a wave of mass layoffs, leaving many people jobless. This not only increases pressure on the already fiercely competitive office labor market, but also coincides with the time when millions of university graduates rush to find jobs, creating extremely tense competition.
These young people have high hopes for the strong development of domestic tourism.
China has seen a strong rebound in domestic tourism over the past year, fueled by social media ads. While per capita tourism spending remains low, tour guides are an accessible and quick way to earn money from tourists, especially in tourist hotspots.
Foreign tourist arrivals are also recovering, albeit more slowly. With visa exemptions for 38 countries so far, trips to China are up nearly 80% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. While still lower than pre-pandemic levels, this is still a positive sign.
Foreign tour guides who are fluent in English often earn more money than domestic tour guides. This is motivating many foreign language students to take the exam to become certified tour guides.
According to Bhatt, tour guides typically earn 500 yuan ($68) to 600 yuan per day during peak season, English-speaking guides earn around 1,000 yuan per day, and salaries can be even higher for those fluent in multiple languages such as German or Italian.
