In an effort to better communicate with the influx of Chinese tourists, Yellowstone has hired 3 Mandarin-speaking rangers for the summer. The uptick in Chinese tourism in the park has been evident over the last few years although staff does not keep records of nation of origin, rather they rely on a “perceived increase” as reported by The Missoulian. This preceived increase would coincide with national statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce which noted a 451 percent between 2007 and 2015
Evan Hubbard studied in China for two years and was hired on as one of the new rangers for his language skills. He had this to say about Chinese tourism at Yellowstone:
“It’s great to show the Chinese visitors my country, after they showed me theirs. They are coming here and everything that is so familiar to us is completely foreign to them.”
He said there are two basic categories of conversations with our friends from over the pond:
“There tends to be two very distinct interactions: safety or regulation issues, like walking off the boardwalk in a thermal area. That becomes an education opportunity. Often they say they had seen someone else or saw tracks. The more fun interaction is hearing Chinese speakers while I’m out roving and I will give them a greeting and their eyes will light up. Usually it’s their first time here and they are excited to have this unique opportunity.”
We are glad we have representatives with attitudes like Evan’s showcasing our national treasures to this expanding segment of tourists. 欢迎!
[images from nps.com]
