The Tourism Law stipulates that tour guides must be appointed by travel agencies to practice. In other words, it is illegal for tour guides to appoint practitioners through other subjects.
Changing this affiliation is the core of the free practice reform of tour guides, so that tour guides are no longer subject to the "single channel" of travel agencies, and can obtain practice opportunities through channels such as travel agencies, online platforms, tourism distribution centers, tourism consultation centers, and tourist service centers in A-level scenic spots.
Where there is a market, there are steps. The market is a prophet, and reform is often the hindsight of the market. In reality, many tour guides have been in a state similar to free practice, and they have not signed employment contracts with travel agencies, but are directly appointed by travel agencies to practice; At the same time, hotels, tourist centers and resorts will also match the practice of tour guides according to market demand. Therefore, the free practice of open tour guides can be regarded as "confirmation of facts" and recognition of spontaneous "market creation" to a certain extent.
The free practice of tour guides has given birth to a new relationship between tour guides and travel agencies ―― from "single employment" to "two-way choice and independent employment".
First, tour guides are liberated from travel agencies, and establish a more direct relationship between supply and demand with tourists through online platforms or offline institutions, thus reducing or weakening the "personal attachment" and "interest attachment" of tour guides to travel agencies.
Secondly, travel agencies are also liberated from "supporting tour guides", choosing excellent tour guides suitable for them through the Internet platform, or obtaining tour guide services conveniently according to the temporary demand of the market, and are not forced to sign long-term employment contracts with tour guides, thus reducing operating costs.
Because the original model is that tour guides must be appointed by travel agencies to practice, tour guides become the downstream of travel agencies in the tourism service chain, at the lowest end of the interest chain, and have the weakest right to speak in the distribution of interests. Travel agencies often use "low price" as a means of competition and pass the risk to the tour guides at the lowest end of the service chain.
The reform of free practice of tour guides is conducive to breaking the inherent chain relationship, making tour guides shift from the end of the service chain to the front, making tour guides play an independent role as some market factors, obtaining practice opportunities with high-quality services and expertise, forming a positive market orientation, breaking the inherent interest chain of "unreasonable low-cost travel" and forcing travel agencies to change the low-cost competition mode.
2. Tour guides and tourists: from "designated dispatch" to "independent choice"
Travel agencies generally attract group tours, and tour guides appointed by travel agencies generally only serve group tourists. Tour guides string together all the links of package tour, and the service of package tour should be reflected through the service of tour guides.
However, tourists as consumers have almost no right to speak. Tourists mainly choose tourism products according to routes and prices. At present, there is no way to book a tour guide, just like other elements in the itinerary.
Tour guides, that is, tourists and tour guides, as front-line service providers, cannot establish a direct relationship between supply and demand, and tour guides cannot directly accept tourists' choices and directly face tourists' evaluations, so it is difficult to manage their own brands and service characteristics.
However, the trend of individual travel in China is becoming more and more obvious, and the proportion of group travel is getting smaller and smaller. There are about 800,000 registered tour guides in China, of which less than 200,000 are employed by travel agencies for a long time, accounting for less than 29% of licensed tour guides. Travel agencies provide very limited jobs for tour guides. The rapid growth of tourists' travel choices has not placed too much bets on travel agencies. The "bonus" brought by the rapid development of tourism in China has not spilled over to travel agencies.
What kind of market structure there is, there must be corresponding public management. With the shrinking of group tours and the rise of free travel, tour guides are required to get rid of the rigid affiliation and the working mode of "travel agency assignment" and turn to personalized quality services to meet tourists' expectations for exquisite tourism.
The tour guide is determined by the relative independence of the nature of the work and the relative professionalism of the service, mainly focusing on professional explanation and guidance. Under the background of deep segmentation of tourism, the free practice of tour guides means that the tour guide service returns to the value orientation centered on tourists' satisfaction, which is undoubtedly a rediscovery of the individual value of tour guides.
3. Tour guide practice platform: from "single channel" to "multi-channel"
Due to policy reasons and industry operation habits, tour guides mainly rely on travel agencies to provide "job opportunities" to obtain income, and the main income mode depends on the "arrangement" of travel agencies. Although some travel agencies have made some "optimizations", the business model of traditional travel agencies has not changed fundamentally.
There is a supply-side structural contradiction in tour guide service. Tour guides belong to travel agencies, and the information is the same ... >>
Question 2: What difficulties do "industry" tour guides face in practicing freely? (1) The level of tour guides.
One is how to get business. The "Administrative Measures" stipulates that the free practice of tour guides can be divided into online and offline ways. The online way is to make an appointment directly on the network platform recognized by the tourism management department, and the offline way is to make an appointment at the freelance business organization (referring to the tourism distribution center, tourism consultation center, A-level tourist center, etc.). As we all know, there are hundreds of certified tour guides in mature tourist destinations in China, and their career promotion similarity is very high. Among the massive and similar tour guide recommendation information, unless the tour guide is in short supply, it is not easy to be quickly selected by the guests.
The second is how to guarantee wages. The "Administrative Measures" stipulates that tour guides "collect reasonable remuneration through electronic payment methods such as third-party payment", which involves three issues: the first is how to price. Because freelance tour guides "are not allowed to engage in business other than explanation and guidance", their charging standards are definitely higher than those of traditional travel agencies with group tours. But how high is it, who decides, and does the guest accept it? The second is how to get the salary smoothly. After the tour guide service, the third-party platform must be confirmed by the guests when paying the remuneration electronically, but what if the guests don't confirm it? If tour guides and tourists frequently resort to law because of tour guide service fees, the time cost and administrative cost of tour guides and guests will be too great. The third is how to ensure that the income level of tour guides after practicing freely is basically the same as that appointed by the original travel agency. Freelance practice of tour guides has not solved the current situation of "no basic salary and no labor security", but no longer bears the pressure of "zero negative tour fee". Because they can only explain and guide the business, the chances of making money are correspondingly reduced. It is difficult to reach the income level of designated tour guides of travel agencies.
Enterprise level
In the Administrative Measures, enterprises that provide support for the free practice of tour guides are divided into online and offline categories. We must sign a service agreement with a freelance tour guide to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties. Enterprises and tour guides are equal partners. Enterprises will face two problems: first, the profit is thin. If you provide platform services for tour guides, you must charge, but the charging standard should be at a low price. Otherwise, it is no different from the fees charged by traditional travel agencies. Second, the responsibility is great. Enterprises have the obligation to conduct qualification examination and business recommendation for practicing tour guides. If the tour guide is complained, the enterprise also has the responsibility of "paying in advance". Because of high risks and low profits, the enthusiasm of online and offline enterprises will not be very high.
(3) * * level
After the free practice of tour guides, the "must be appointed by travel agencies" link was cancelled, and there was no link for travel agencies to supervise and take responsibility for tour guides' practice. The management of tour guide practice activities by various functional departments in tourist destinations has changed from "relatively centralized travel agency management" to "decentralized personal management of tour guides", so the workload will increase greatly. At the same time, due to the strength gap between "individual tour guides" and "travel agency corporate" in taking risks, in the event of emergencies such as urgency, difficulty, danger and severity, the responsibility of tourist destinations will greatly increase.
Countermeasures to solve difficulties
To solve the difficulties in the free practice of tour guides, it is necessary for pilot areas, enterprises and individual tour guides to work together to form a joint force.
(A) * * level
First of all, it is necessary to clarify the status and role of freelance tour guides. The "Administrative Measures" stipulates that "tour guides can choose to engage in free practice or accept the appointment of travel agencies in areas where free practice is carried out." In other words, to engage in free practice, tour guides need to make an appointment through online platforms or offline institutions, and tour guides have equal cooperation with online platforms and offline institutions; Tour guides who are not engaged in freelance work must be appointed by travel agencies. The relationship between tour guides and travel agencies is employment and employment. Tour guides can engage in freelance work or work assigned by travel agencies at different times. Therefore, the free practice of tour guides only opens a new channel for tour guides, reduces the burden of tour guides, and improves and enriches the supply level of tourism service market. Freelance tour guides are not "self-employed" in the traditional sense.
The second is to create a growing environment for tour guides to practice freely. The free practice of tour guides subverts the traditional practice mode and profit mode of tour guides, which cannot be understood by tour guides, tourists, travel-related enterprises and society in a short time, and needs to be vigorously promoted in the pilot areas. First, we should support the establishment of a convenient and authoritative online and offline reservation platform. The online platform is unified nationwide. It is suggested that the National Tourism Administration and large-scale e-commerce groups cooperate to develop and use it jointly by all provinces and cities. For the three major centers involved in the offline platform (tourism distribution center, tourism consultation center and A-level tourism) > >
Question 3: What are the negative effects on travel agencies and tour guides? Please refer to Article 3 of the Regulations on the Administration of Tour Guides: China citizens with senior middle school or secondary specialized school education, good health and basic knowledge and language ability to meet the needs of tour guides can take the tour guide qualification examination; After passing the examination, the administrative department of tourism in the State Council or the administrative department of tourism in the State Council shall entrust the administrative department of tourism in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government to issue the qualification certificate of tour guides. Conditions for not issuing a tour guide card: (1) having no or limited capacity for civil conduct; (2) Suffering from infectious diseases; (3) Having been subjected to criminal punishment, except for negligent crimes; (4) The tour guide card is revoked. Therefore, the conditions for obtaining the tour guide qualification certificate are: high school graduation or above, qualified physical examination, 18 years old or 16 years old; After obtaining the qualification certificate, you need to sign a labor contract with a travel agency or a tour guide service center to obtain a tour guide certificate. With this card, you can take the tour by calling the tour guide service center or travel agency.
Question 4: How do you view the free practice of tour guides? Li Jinzao, director of the National Tourism Administration, put forward a series of ideas to reform the management system of tour guides at the 20 16 National Tourism Work Conference. Among them, the most concerned by the industry should be to let the tour guides practice freely. As a tourism professional teacher with 16 * * tour guide experience, the author is quite touched by this.
The development of tourism needs the free practice of tour guides.
In the era of planned economy, tour guides are closed management, that is, tour guides are completely attached to travel agencies; In the 1990s, when the market economy developed to a certain stage, China established a semi-closed management mode, that is, full-time tour guides attached to travel agencies, and * * * tour guides relied on tour guide management companies to adopt socialized management; 2 1 In the second decade of the century, China's tourism industry has entered a new stage of comprehensive marketization, and the management mode of tour guides must be innovated accordingly. The author thinks that open management is more suitable for the current situation.
First, the reform of tourism supply side requires tour guides to practice freely. Tourism supply-side reform is a major event in China's tourism field at present, and it is also the direction of tourism development. The supply-side reform of tourism needs to optimize the structure of tourism industry and improve the quality of tourism products
For the tour guide industry, China's tour guide team is relatively large, with 800,000 tour guide card holders, but the actual number of employees is less than 30%. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but at present, tour guides in China must be appointed by travel agencies. One of the main reasons is that if tour guides are allowed to practice freely, the annual examination exemption system will be implemented in the future, which will definitely stimulate the enthusiasm of some tour guide card holders and optimize the current tour guide team structure.
Judging from the service quality of tour guides, complaints against travel agencies are mainly concentrated in the field of travel agencies, while complaints against travel agencies are mainly concentrated in tour guides, which may be related to the salary system of tour guides and the overall quality of tour guides, but the most fundamental reason behind it may be the conflict of interests between travel agencies and tour guides. If tour guides can practice freely, such contradictions can be solved, and tour guides will spend more time and energy on improving their own ability and level, thus improving their service quality and reshaping the service value of tour guides.
Second, the development of global tourism requires free practice of tour guides. Global tourism is the inevitable outcome of China's tourism industry entering the stage of popularization. At present, China's tourism industry is in a historic stage of transformation from scenic spot tourism to global tourism. In the era of scenic tourism, tourists basically complete their tourism in the form of teams. For tour guides, they only need to recite some tour guide words and learn some tourism talents according to the route designed by the travel agency, and then they can complete their tour guide work. The binding or semi-binding of tour guides and travel agencies can basically meet this demand. However, when the development of China's tourism industry has entered the stage of global tourism, which mainly focuses on national tourism and individual tourism, it is obvious that the traditional tour guide practice is difficult to meet the needs of modern tourism development.
In the stage of global tourism, tourists pay more attention to personalized tourism forms, and the demand for fragmented tourism services will also increase. If tour guides can practice freely, on the one hand, it will be more convenient for tourists to find individual tour guide services; On the other hand, due to the free practice, the more professional service of tour guides (in the era of scenic spots tourism, tour guides are arranged directly by travel agencies, and tourists do not participate in direct selection, so the requirements for the professional level of tour guides are not high, and tour guides are more professional in the era of global tourism) can better meet the increasingly diverse tourism needs.
Second, the free practice of tour guides requires good internal skills.
Most countries with developed tourism in the world implement a relaxed tour guide access system. There is an objective prerequisite for foreign countries to implement the system of free practice of tour guides, that is, people who can engage in tour guides are basically well-educated and have certain professional expertise, such as university teachers, lawyers and retired officials. Objectively speaking, the overall quality of our tour guide team is not very high at present. If you want to implement the free tour guide practice system, you must practice your internal skills hard.
First, tour guides must improve their own quality. Facing the new situation of the current tourism industry, freelance tour guides should improve their own quality from two aspects: on the one hand, strengthen the integration of knowledge in the closed or semi-closed management stage, and the knowledge of tour guides is relatively closed. General travel society prepares relevant materials, and tour guides can recite knowledge according to the requirements of travel agencies, so it is easy for people to become tour guides; In the stage of open management, tourism is an open system, and it is integrated into the whole social system. Tour guides must jump out of tourism and talk about tourism, which requires knowledge integration. On the other hand, they should strengthen market awareness and legal awareness.
The free practice of tour guides means that the tour guide service has changed from previous travel to ... >>
Question 5: What is the influence of freelance tour guides on travel agencies?
It doesn't matter. Don't join a travel agency.
Travel agencies just have fewer customers.
It's good for travel agencies. Travel agencies will not be restricted in choosing tour guides. Travel agencies can choose the best guides.
Question 6: Does the free practice of tour guides need textual research? The so-called freelancing is not linked to tourism, not without a license. The first thing a tour guide needs is a tour guide card.
It turns out that it is difficult to type by hand. If you are satisfied, please adopt it. Thank you.
Question 7: What does the liberalization of tour guide occupation mean? To carry out the free practice of tour guides is to give play to the decisive role of the market in allocating tour guide resources, broaden the channels of tour guide practice, and start with the supply-side reform to make the supply system adapt to the changes in demand structure.
Question 8:2065 438+06 Which cities in China launched the pilot program of free practice of tour guides? The pilot project of registration and certification of land contractual management right in China will be expanded again this year. According to the deployment, nine provinces and autonomous regions including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Gansu, Ningxia, Jilin, Henan and Guizhou will be included in the pilot scope of land ownership registration and certification this year. Zhang Hongyu, director of the Department of Rural Economic System and Management of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, said on the 27th that on the basis of the pilot projects in three provinces and 27 counties last year, the central government will select nine provinces and regions to carry out the pilot project of land ownership registration and certification in the whole province this year.
Question 9: Why can't a tour guide become a freelance tour guide? Being a freelance tour guide will lead to many problems, such as fraud and insecurity. Tourists still tend to find tour guides through formal channels.
Question 10: Does everyone know that the tour guide profession has been liberalized? Free practice is still in the pilot stage, and only some provinces and cities have implemented the pilot for the time being.