China’s tourism industry is once again marred by disputes over forced shopping by tour groups. Recently, a video posted by a netizen has brought attention to a tour to Jiuzhaigou, where tourists were allegedly coerced into shopping by the tour guide. It was reported that if a tourist refused to make a purchase, everyone on the bus would be forced to disembark, even in the harsh conditions of -13°C weather with snow falling outside, including elderly people and children among the tourists. This incident has sparked discussions online.
On February 15th, a man surnamed Wang, who was among the tourists, recounted the events to “Huashang Daily.” Mr. Wang stated that they booked a 7-day tour with the Qingyang branch of Chengdu China Travel Service for 2000 yuan.
It was reported that the tour group consisted of 20 tourists, who gathered in Chengdu on February 2nd before heading to Huanglong on the first day and being led by a female tour guide who encouraged them to shop. Some tourists chose not to make purchases. The guide reminded them, “Today there will be no commission, whether you buy something or not is up to you, but you must buy something tomorrow when we get there.”
On February 4th, as the tour bus traveled towards Jiuzhaigou, the guide demanded that all tourists make purchases, leading to a dispute between Mr. Wang and the guide. According to the on-board video, Mr. Wang questioned the guide’s coercion of tourists to spend money and asked fellow passengers, “Did you all feel that if we don’t spend money today, we won’t be allowed to continue the journey? Did you get that impression?” Several passengers responded affirmatively.
The guide then threatened, “We will call the tourism bureau and the police. If you call the Sichuan Tourism Bureau now, you can get off the bus. I will get off here, and the driver will leave with me.”
The guide subsequently reported the incident to the travel agency, stating, “Contact his (Mr. Wang’s) customer service as soon as possible. He wants to get off here because he instigated all passengers not to shop. The group cannot continue with him like this, I need to get off because he has influenced other passengers in this way.”
During this time, the bus remained parked in the remote area of Minjiang for over 20 minutes. Mr. Wang informed the “Huashang Daily,” “At that time, there were 20 tourists from Northeast China, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Chongqing, including elderly people and children. The temperature outdoors dropped below zero, and it was snowing.”
Another video posted online by a suspected fellow passenger claimed that the tour bus was stopped in the remote Minjiang area amid heavy snowfall, with temperatures as low as -13°C.
Mr. Wang explained, “In the morning, I proposed that our group would collectively offer 100 yuan per family to the guide to turn back to Chengdu early and continue our journey independently. She said it’s 100 yuan per person, totaling 2000 yuan. How can we agree to that? Then she said, ‘If not, then don’t continue the journey.'” Mr. Wang felt outraged by this response.
After the dispute between Mr. Wang and the guide, tourists were no longer forced to make purchases. According to Mr. Wang, the guide left the group that afternoon, and the bus driver took them sightseeing. Subsequently, on the third day of the incident, February 6th, Mr. Wang also left the group.
Mr. Wang emphasized, “Initially, we thought the guide was referring to expenses for food and drinks, but later we found out it was about promoting silver products and jade in the Tibetan area, which cost tens of thousands. She tried to force us to buy jade worth tens of thousands, who could afford that?”