A Chinese tour guide was fired after she got caught on camera scolding tourists and forcing them to spend more money at shopping stops.

In the video that went viral, the said tour guide threatened to scrap the group's next destination and cancel their return trips if they failed to shell out CNY3,000 (US$483) each. The incident, which was caught on camera, cost the guide her license after officials of the Yunnan province determined that she went against China's tourism laws, BBC detailed.

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China has banned tour companies from including shopping stops in group tours and attempting to earn illegitimate profit beginning 2013, the report added.

The sacked guide was caught on camera addressing a bus full of tourists and asking them where their "sense of conscience" was.

"If all of you don't spend more than 3,000 or 4,000 [yuan], we'll cancel the Xishuangbanna trip, the tour company won't be responsible for the return to Shenyang," she said in the video.

The video, which was uploaded on YouTube, has since been widely shared on Chinese social media websites. The "enforced shopping," which was caught on camera, also ignited the ire of many netizens and caused others to share their own similar experiences with tour companies in mainland China.

Hong Kong citizens are not exempted from this ordeal. Those who sign up for a group tour to the mainland would find themselves in shopping destinations where they are subjected to various product demonstrations and promotions.

However, in contrast to the tour guide who was caught on camera scolding the tourists, most tour guides do not force Hong Kong citizens to spend a certain amount of shopping money. They usually allow those who do not want to shop to wait outside the stores.

The issue involving the tour guide who was caught on camera has been nagging China for several years now. This usually results from the very low travel fees that travel companies charge to entice customers.

In 2013, China implemented a new Tourism Law in a bid to put a stop to forceful shopping and unreasonably low-priced tours. However, as viral video suggests, the government still needs to do more to curb the problem.

In the wake of the tour guide being caught on camera forcing tourists to spend money, Yunnan tourism officials announced that they will also suspend her company's operations. The Yunnan Provincial Commission on Tourism Development released a statement saying they imposed a CNY20,000 fine on Kunming Fenghua Travel Agency.

Tagscaught on camera, tour guide, tour guide fired, China group tour, Shopping, tourists