Al wrote:
> I am interested in touring China including the Yangtze River. I have looked
> at a number of tour companys and found the best price with Grand Circle
> Travel (GCT). I am interested in opinions on GCT as well as other tour
> companies.
>
> Al Kessler
The majority of the foreign big name tour companies operating in China
are using the same few ground handlers to make all their arrangements
for them within the country. As a result there can often be very little
difference between tours, and the guide who is looking after you today
was looking after another company's group the previous day.
Tour prices very often look remarkably cheap for what you get, and
indeed there's a lot hidden away. In general a higher price means fewer
hassles, so when making a choice of company consider the following, and
if necessary call and ask for clear answers from the companies you are
considering:
How many shopping stops are there?
In general, the cheaper the tour, the more of these there are, and they
are the bane of touring in China. Many's the tour that only gives you an
hour or two on the Great Wall because they want you to spend time in the
cloisonné factory on the way there or back. At such shopping
'opportunities' guides get massive kick-backs (typically 40%) on any
purchase you make, on prices which may be 10 to 15 times more than is
actually reasonable. Sometimes 'discount vouchers' are handed out, but
these only mark you out for an even higher rate of fleecing, and help
the perpetrators of these scams to work out what kick-back to give who.
So sit out these stops, but first ask your tour company just how much
sitting around on the bus waiting for the others to finish wasting their
money you are going to do. The few tour companies who actually have a
clue what they are doing manage to keep these stops to an absolute
minimum, and pay the guides rather more up front. This results in an
apparently higher tour price for you, but a better overall experience.
What's the tipping policy?
There isn't any tipping in China, except within the enclosed world of
organized tours for foreigners, where the ground handling companies have
noted the enthusiasm of certain kinds of foreigners for giving away free
money in addition to the price they've negotiated for services. If the
tour company you're looking at has a mandatory daily rate, then look
elsewhere.
Alternatively, multiply the rate by the number of days, and add that to
the price quoted in the brochure in each case, in order to make price
comparisons. Those that do have compulsory tipping are either mainland
companies disguising themselves as foreign operations, deliberately
cheating you so as to offer an apparently low brochure price, or so
ignorant of conditions in China that they are being ripped off
themselves. Either way, is this the sort of company you want to travel
with? If, in addition, their brochure advises you to bring a pile of
US$1 bills for small purchases and for tipping, definitely look
elsewhere.
Foreign guide or tour manager?
It's worth paying more for a company that has a foreign guide or tour
manager who will accompany you throughout the entire trip. These people
keep an eye out for attempts by the local operatives to add in extra
shopping stops, downgrade hotel rooms and take a cut, and other
shenanigans. They also act as an antidote to the Party line which the
local guides will often feed you (often being all they know).
In general the cheapest tours are those most likely to be less value for
money. If you find yourself staying in one hotel, but being bussed over
to another for dinner, this is probably because the restaurant at the
second is paying bigger kick-backs. In general the selection of
restaurants is more often than not to do with this factor, not with
giving the visitor decent food, and of course the kick-back to the
ground handlers or individual guide results in a lower quality of meal.
If there are lots or tour buses parked outside, this just means that
there's a successful scam going on, not that you should be reassured by
the number of foreign faces. Those who do wander away from tours and
their hotels to order their own meals are frequently shocked and just
how much the price goes down and the quality goes up.
But the same is true of sights, where all but a few 'must-sees' such as
the Forbidden City pay substantial kick-backs to group leaders to bring
parties in, but at least the foreign company buying the local services
keeps a grip on the choices of historic sites. Chinese tour groups have
a much harder time.
Peter N-H
http://www.datasinica.com |