Musings on the Macau Shopping Tour Riot
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| Largo do Senado, Macau |
I was poking through the travel news this past week and ran across an article on some tourists who were none too happy with their tour of Macau. And I admit, it does sound kind of sucky, more than 100 tourists were mad that their tour guide took them to a bunch of shops instead of the historic sites they thought would be part of the tour. They got mad, one thing led to another, and the riot cops stepped in. On paper, a really great historical tour of Macau and a crappy shopping tour could look much the same, it all depends on how the tour is described and who is operating it. So how do you avoid ending up in a riot and get a great tour?
At Viator this is one of the main concerns we have with our tours and activities - how do we make sure they are all great experiences with great operators, and that any person coming to our site and thinking about a tour can easily get an understanding if its right for them. I am thinking of changing our tag line to “Riot free tours since 1995″, but there are other ways I think we embody that sentiment. Even if you aren’t considering a Viator experience, here’s some questions you should ask and things to think about to make sure you pick a tour or activity that will make your vacation memorable in a good way (not in a I-have-a-funny-story-about-finding-bail-money-in-Hong-Kong-Dollars kind of way).
1. Get as much information as you can about the tour operator and the tour you are considering. How long have they been in business and have been running this tour? Are they accredited in some way? Have they won any awards?
At Viator, we already do all this for our customers. We review every tour operator’s standing with the local visitors bureau, the Better Business Bureau, and relevant travel associations. We evaluate the operator’s customer-service procedures to make sure they meet our high standards, and verify their safety records and insurance coverage. Also Viator requires operators to adhere to the Federation of Tour Operator’s Preferred Code of Practice.
2. In general, avoid a tour with 100+ people. More people is usually, but not always, less fun. Sometimes a crowd is great - who wants to watch football alone in a stadium? But if you want a nice historical tour, think intimate. Odds are you will have more input into what you see and do.
Viator offers a lot of private or small tour options, we know that a big group is often less fun. A personalized tour is even better.
3. Get a detailed description of the tour, and if you are particularly interested in seeing something, ask if its part of the itinerary.
Viator spends a lot of time on on gathering detailed information about our tours and activities and succinctly providing that information to help customers make an educated decision about their experience. Check out Viator’s Macau tour description:
“The island of Macau is located 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometres (90 miles) from Guangzhou. A 60-minute Jetfoil or Catamaran journey from Hong Kong will take you to the former Portuguese colony where you will explore the Historic Centre of Macau, which has now been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the 31st designated UNESCO World Heritage site in China. Visit the Old Fort, Penha Hill, the Bishop’s Home along the Praia Grande, The Ruins of the Historic Church of St Paul and the Macau Grand Prix Race Course.”
“You will also stop at the Border Gate for a glimpse of the Chinese Border Guards before proceeding to the Casino to possibly try your luck. Depart Macau in the mid-afternoon and arrive back in Hong Kong and your pick-up point at approximately 5:00pm.”
That’s a great description of what you will see and do. Don’t settle for something like, it’s a day tour of Macau’s historical sites. Get the details.
4. Get recommendations from people who have been on the tour. This is a tough one when you’re already on vacation. You might run into someone at the hotel who happens to have done what you’re considering, but odds are you won’t. Do you want to trust the concierge, who in all likelihood won’t have actually gone on any of the tours (or worse, is getting a kickback)?
This is why Viator traveler reviews are great. There are 19 reviews of the Macau tour. You can read the honest feedback of travelers from four different continents; what they liked, what they didn’t like, and the overall star rating they gave the tour (incidentally this one gets 3 1/2 out of 4 stars). Why would we publish negative comments about a tour? Because we want you to have all the information possible. And we use it to make sure our operators are meeting our expectations - if they aren’t, they aren’t our operator anymore.
Pssst! We’re also announcing traveler photos to go with the reviews soon, but not quite yet. You’ll actually be able to see what its like to be on the tour through other travelers photos. Don’t say I told you. Scott will be mad.
5. To thine own self be true. Do things you like, don’t do things you think you have to do. Just because you are in Paris does not mean you need to see the Louvre if you hate museums. Skip it. Opt for tours and activities you will enjoy, you’re not obligated to do anything on vacation but have fun. There’s a thousand ways to experience Paris that don’t involve a museum if that’s not your bag. This can be a radical paradigm shift for some travelers, but make the leap, you’ll be much happier.
Viator knows that everyone likes to do different things. In Paris, yes, we have a great guided tour of the Louvre, but we also have 149 other things to do in Paris in 15 different categories, many of which do not involve a single painting. If you can’t find something you’d like to do, I’ll eat my chapeau.
Hopefully this advice is helpful when you plan things to do on your next trip. Not to sound like a broken record, but at Viator, we take the quality of our tours and activities to heart, our goal is for everyone to have a great travel experience.
Riot free since 1995….
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