The opening of Greece’s largest outbound market in the world, that of China, created the conditions for the development of another market, that of tour guides who speak Chinese and can facilitate Chinese visitors during their stay in the country. As reported in Greek newspaper “Kathimerini”, Chinese tourists, even if they speak English, they still want to have someone with them with whom they can consult in their own language.
Guides who escort Chinese visitors are operating in the margins of legality, since they unofficially cooperate with dozens of stores and restaurants in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini and a number of Greek travel agencies and tour operators. The Chinese tourists’ guides who have started flocking in Greece are known as MSGs (Mandarin Speaking Guide). In other words, they are drivers who speak Chinese.
These guides are mostly residents of the Athenian Chinatown, which has been severely affected by the economic crisis, and some are Chinese students living in Greece. To meet the increased demand for Chinese-speaking guides, several of them came recently from China and are trained in Athens.
Most travel agencies informally cooperate with Chinese guides. The guides, who are not licensed to practice the profession and do not provide receipts, are paid from 4 to 10 euros per customer.
A driver earns an average 90-100 euros per day. However, some of them are making much more by sending customers to specific stores and businesses.
They have developed a “collaboration” with specific shops and restaurants throughout Greece, where they “channel” the groups that come to town, in return, of course, of a special commission that starts at 10%.
The profit margin for some MSGs is huge, as one of the characteristics of Chinese tourists is that they spend a lot of money shopping. It is estimated that Chinese guides are around 150, with some of them earning up to 60,000 euros per season.
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