Guiding light: Gao Zhiquan

"I think the nation's modern tourism first made a mark with the successful Beijing Asian Games in the early 1990s," said Gao Zhiquan, a former tour guide for China CYTS Tours who has been the company's vice-president since 2008.

"The sports gala gave Beijing and China recognition in the world and helped attract foreign visitors," the 52-year-old said.

In 1990, the Liaoning province native became a tour guide in Beijing after graduating from Pyongyang University of Construction and Building Materials Industries in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.