Shanxi enrolls volunteers to improve local tourism

Shanxi province has recruited an army of more than 5,000 volunteers to cope with the growing number of tourists visiting the historical region in North China.

A launch ceremony for the new "official volunteer team" was held in Taiyuan on Oct 11, with the province hoping that the new group will help coordinate the rapidly growing number of volunteers and recruit even more in the coming months.

Domestic tourism has increased massively in China in recent years, and there are no longer nearly enough professional guides in Shanxi's major tourist sites to cope during peak seasons such as the recent National Day holiday from Oct 1 to 7.

The province is therefore looking to local volunteers to make up the shortfall, providing a range of services including guided tours, tour consultations and emergency assistance.

Given the large number of important historical sites in Shanxi, the government is particularly keen to recruit experts, retired teachers and other local travel enthusiasts to provide tourists with accurate information.

Currently, these volunteers are mainly being recruited from the government's tourism department, tourism enterprises and local colleges specializing in training tour guides.

For the volunteers, it is also a great chance to learn more about their local area and meet people from across the country.

"I'm familiar with my hometown and love travel, so I hope that tourists will know more about Shanxi through my introduction," said one of the new volunteers, surnamed Zhang, who gave free guides to visitors in Huangcheng Xiangfu, a local historical landmark in Jincheng, during this National Day holiday.