Reply With QuoteIf these tour guides are making income from their activities in the U.S., are they visiting on a work visa?
Chinese take American Tourism Jobs in USA
The competition for the Chinese tourism business was set off in 2007 when China, for the first time, allowed commercial travel agents to book group pleasure trips to the U.S. But China did not mandate that Chinese tourists hire accredited American tour guides — a requirement that China imposed on other countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,4044919.story
If these tour guides are making income from their activities in the U.S., are they visiting on a work visa?
Much about nothing. Most guided trips use guides which have the same nationality as the tourists.
According to the article, the people complaining are also Chinese (Americans).Originally Posted by dava
So what is the problem then? Some healthy competition is the american way right?
The issue is whether if its ethical to bring their own tour guides to work on US soil without a work visa.
It is.
Many travel agencies work with their own guides. There are a lot of people preferring someone of their own country to guide them, he or she may not be a native but still sports a wealth of knowledge/experience and far more important, speaks the same language and has the same cultural values as the tourists.
The chinese americans, even when they still speak chinese, are still americanized.
You are pushing BUY AMERICAN one step further. Maybe you should ask yourself if it is ethical to travel around the world without a local guide. You are taking jobs everywhere!
Gotta feel sorry for the poor Mexicans now.
Hey, they're just doing jobs Americans won't do.
I've traveled many times in China.
The times I've traveled with a guide I felt I was ripped off. The places they took me was one filled with 'kickback' jade or silk factory and crappy restaurants.
Armed with a Lonely Planet guidebook, I went to local remote places, patronized local businesses, and ate in small mom and pop restaurants. Traveling this way I felt I had more impact on the local economy than some Communist Party boss skimming off my wages with tour groups.
They are doing the same here by bring their own guides. Shuttling them from one duty free shop to another, eating exclusively at Chinese restaurants without meeting any Americans or seeing any of the great sites we have. The money does not stay here, there's a kickback to Communist China involved.
Got to disagree with you here. This is much ado about nothing. How is this any different than being employed by someone like GE and being sent to meetings in Europe for 2 weeks? No work permit needed for that.
You're working for GE back home, not supplanting local labor.
If you have travelled around China then you know there is a massive difference in dialect and language. There is no guarantee everyone understands Mandarin to the same extent, the best chance of understanding is taking along someone who speaks like you do.
What's the problem, according to someone, as long as they pay taxes, everything is good.
Those travel agencies are small businesses which are mostly owned by individuals. They all run like that. Taking you to many places, do a lot of shopping, it's easy to travel that way. But if you are a true traveler, you should always travel on your own. China actually is a pretty easy and safe place to go around.
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