Rise in globetrotting Chinese prompts worldwide demand for tour guides

China's booming tourism industry with its legions of tailored and themed tours, is driving rampant demand for professional tour guides around the world, especially those with creativity, comprehensive knowledge of visit-worthy places and good interpersonal and language skills.

One who knows the career well is Lei Lei, a tour guide from Hubei province, who has been working and living in Paris for 13 years.

In 2006, Lei went to France to do a postgraduate course in international trade. But after graduation, the global financial crisis made it extremely hard for him to find work. A friend persuaded Lei to become a registered tour guide on Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency.