China’s tourism authorities want to recruit ‘competent travellers’ to help reduce the instances of unruly behaviour by members of Chinese tour groups overseas.
Guidelines released by the China National Tourism Administration (NTA) call for worldly-wise Chinese travellers to assist tour group leaders to ensure ‘civilized travel.’
These travellers will be sought in 10 regions including Beijing and Shanghai that are the main source of Chinese tour groups travelling overseas.
The NTA has not released details on how it would select them or what powers a ‘competent traveller’ would have to control the behaviour of tour groups.
However Liu Simin, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing Tourism Society said it would not be effective as most Chinese travellers now travel independently or on small private tours.
Private outbound tours made up more than 70% of the more than 100 million trips overseas in 2014.
Liu Deqian, a tourism expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said the initiative would be difficult to police.
"As it is not and cannot be a mandatory measure, travellers may not follow the supervisors’ etiquette advice," Liu said.
The NTA last week said tourists could be ‘blacklisted’ for offences such as disrespecting local customs, defacing historic exhibits and artwork, air rage incidents or illegal gambling.
