Calming Romanian Tourists' Outrage During Zhangjiajie Tour

At the end of July 2024, a Romanian family of four - parents with two young daughters - contacted Asia Odyssey Travel just one week before their dream 12-day China tour in August.

The Andrei family had extremely detailed requirements for their itinerary: hotels had to be located in the city center with a rating of no less than 4.5 stars, restaurants had to offer Western dining options, and the sightseeing time at each attraction had to be precise down to the hour. Coordinating these demands within such a short week was no easy task.

After days of intense coordination, I finally finalized a plan that satisfied them. But midway through their journey, tensions erupted.

This was a battle of communication.

Conflict in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was one of the Andrei family's most anticipated attractions, but August was the peak tourist season, and the crowds exceeded their expectations.

While waiting in line for the sightseeing bus, Andrei called, his tone clearly dissatisfied: "We've been waiting for 40 minutes! You must send a car to pick us up immediately!" I understood his frustration, waiting for a long time with two young children, especially in the hot summer, was indeed difficult.

However, park regulations prohibited external vehicles from entering. While calming him down, I contacted the guide to expedite itinerary adjustments.

A more troublesome situation followed. Due to poor language communication, the Andrei family mistakenly believed that the guide had not arranged lunch for them, leading to a misunderstanding between the two parties. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the anxious guide called me to say that he had lost the Andrei family, and the Andrei family was not answering any calls.

The Zhangjiajie scenic area was vast, and tourists were all busy holding up their phones to photograph Avatar Mountain, making it difficult to recognize people at first glance. Coupled with the occasional mountain mist, I was very worried about the Andrei family's whereabouts.

I tried contacting them on various social media platforms using different accounts. Finally, at nine o'clock in the evening, I received a text message from Andrei's wife, Elena: "We've returned to the hotel. We don't need the guide."

That night, I discussed solutions with the local agency overnight. We prepared fruit and local specialty snacks for them as appeasement and arranged for a more experienced bilingual guide to take over the subsequent itinerary. This attention to detail helped ease the tense atmosphere.

Child Suddenly Develops a Fever on the High-Speed Train

On the high-speed train from Guilin to Hong Kong, a new problem arose. Elena felt unwell due to the low air conditioning temperature in the carriage, and Andrei called anxiously to say that their daughter had a fever.

Andrei's accusations on the phone put pressure on me, but I understood the concerns of a parent. I immediately contacted the guide in Hong Kong to prepare antipyretic medicine and a thermometer in advance, and arranged for the hotel to have hot drinks and extra blankets ready.

When the train arrived in Hong Kong, the guide was already waiting at the platform with the medication. Seeing the professional and thoughtful preparations, the Andrei family's mood visibly improved. Andrei later told me that his daughter only had a slight cold and would be able to continue the itinerary after a night's rest.

Mutual Understanding During the Trip

Surprisingly, the Hong Kong and Macau segments of the trip went exceptionally smoothly. Perhaps the initial friction had a positive effect, as the Andrei family began to communicate their needs more proactively with the guide and kept their phones accessible. In Macau, Andrei's two daughters became fascinated with the local egg tarts, their faces beaming with smiles. In the Historic Centre of Macau, Andrei showed a strong interest in the blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, even actively asking the guide about the historical background.

The day before their return flight, Andrei sent me a message: "Thank you for your patience during this time. We know some of our requests may have been unreasonable, but you really helped us a lot." This simple expression of gratitude made all the previous tension worthwhile.