City lawmaker calls for greater push to train tour guides

Shanghai's inbound tourism is facing a contradiction: while the visa-free policies and resumption of flights have boosted the number of international arrivals to Shanghai, there is a severe shortage of tour guides to meet the demand.

Zhou Weihong, a city legislator, is calling for increased efforts to train tour guides.

According to official statistics, Shanghai received 4.61 million visitors between January and September 2024, reflecting a 100 percent increase year over year.

Zhou, who also serves as deputy general manager of Shanghai-based travel firm Spring Tour, said that the number of inbound travelers welcomed through travel agencies was approximately 170,000, up fivefold from the previous year.

Zhou noted that the number of tour guides, particularly those proficient in less mainstream languages, is significantly lower.

Before the pandemic, there was already a shortage of inbound tour guides in Shanghai, particularly those with excellent professional qualities and the ability to speak less-known languages.

"The shortage of professionals greatly limits the reception capacity of tourism companies."

Zhou stated that several municipal schools and universities have eliminated tour guide courses, leading to the shortage.

Characteristics like work intensity, financial stability, and social repute influence the low sense of professional belonging that tour guides experience.

Many tourism graduates are hesitant to work as tour guides, according to Zhou.

Zhou has suggested raising the frequency of examinations at universities for guides to consolidate the talent base.

She has suggested providing assistance to college students in Shanghai's schools and universities, expanding the scope and frequency of incoming tour guide qualification certificate training, and boosting their desire to take on the work.

For example, authorities can increase the frequency of relevant examinations from once a year to twice a year, as well as provide free training. She also encouraged travel businesses to provide additional internships for newly qualified inbound tour guides.

Zhou suggested that authorities suitably loosen the requirements for admissions in less-spoken languages.