Major travel agencies in China have begun offering a new trial service: allowing tourists to book appointment with tour guides online.

Based on their itineraries and preferences, tourists will be able to make appointments with tour guides through an online appointment platform. They will also have a chance to review the tour guides' previous work. Tourist reviews will serve as an important reference for tour guides' future business and fee standards.

The National Tourism Administration has already launched an online pilot program for freelance tour guides in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Guangdong. According to the program, tour guides provide services to tourists according to online appointments, and are then paid through a third-party payment platform.

Seventy-eight percent of the 2,170 tourists surveyed said they support the pilot program because it allows both tourists and tour guides to choose each other in a transparent manner, which could help to make tour package prices more reasonable.