China’s summer tourism boom sees creation of new jobs – photographer-companion and image quality assessor charging 14 US cents to US$14 an hour
- Services are mainly provided by university and secondary school students over holiday period
- Ads for these roles are everywhere on social media platforms like Douyin with varying rates and service conditions
.JPG?itok=NUwH9YK3&v=1713190226)
Against high and rising youth unemployment in China, a new generation of tourism jobs have been created this summer and are trending on mainland social media.
Chao News reported two of the most popular new tourism jobs are personal photographer-companion and travel photography quality assessor-companion.
Advertisements for these jobs are seemingly everywhere on Chinese social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, with varying rates and service conditions being offered.
One advertisement for a personal photographer for 25 yuan (US$3.5) per hour claimed in the job description that they could show clients how to pose for the camera and edit their photos.
Another ad from a 20-year-old student said that she would be happy to accompany people who wanted to go on city walks, share meals, take photos and go shopping.
These ads are mainly from university and secondary school students.
The basic hourly rate ranges from as low as one yuan (14 US cents) to 100 yuan, and services like applying makeup and photo editing require additional charges from 10 to 50 yuan.
Many ads said photographer-companion services were not limited to just taking photos and videos; they could also plan routes for photography and provide background information on tourist attractions.
One student, nicknamed Feifei, from Hangzhou city in eastern China, started working as a personal photographer-companion on July 20, and has completed 36 orders in the month since.
She said that although working on hot summer days could be exhausting, she was happy earning money while learning new things such as social skills and camerawork.
“It’s my hobby and also my own business,” she said.
The story has kicked off widespread discussions on Chinese social media.
One person said: “I like the photographer-companion service. When we travel, we do need someone good at taking photos to preserve wonderful memories.”
Another person commented: “I hope young people can create more new jobs for the market.”
Stories about young people creating new professions are increasingly common in China.
Last month, a 29-year-old woman in southwestern China caught attention after sharing her experience as an educational excursion instructor teaching children how to learn knowledge from travel and practical experiences.
At the beginning of this year, a woman in southern China quit her job in sales to draw messages for people in the sand on beaches for a living and went viral.
