Thaindian News

July 20 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The National Tourism Administration of China has issued a travel advisory warning people who are planning trips to Hong Kong after the release of a video which showed mainland tourist being tormented and insulted until they were “forced” to shop by a tour guide in the city.

Outrage sparked on the internet after the video was released, according to ‘Xinhua news agency.”An undated video clip currently circulating on the Internet shows a Hong Kong tour guide allegedly abusing a group of visitors from the Chinese mainland and forcing them to shop, triggering a backlash from the mainland public,” the news stated.

Complaints from tourist in China reached an all time high in 2010, with over 170 being sent in during just the first 6 months of the year. The National Tourism Administration of China had promised before to enforce stricter rules over the tour guides from this behavior, but the bullying carries on.

Allegedly, a tour guide will lead the person whom they are supposed to be assisting to locations where they are pushed to buy product that they do not want. Usually elderly or more vulnerable targets are chosen, and often made to feel very uncomfortable if they do not buy anything. Since the guide is the tourist’s only ride away from the area, this type of bullying behavior is called “forced shopping”.

Although there is not a lot of violence in the video, the language is shockingly appalling. The practice gained worldwide attention when a 65 year old man who was touring from Hunan died of a heart attack while engaged in an argument with his tour guide who was trying to force him to shop.