Li was nicknamed Ah Zhen in the video filmed by a member of her tour group in March and uploaded on YouTube before mainland television stations picked it up earlier this month, sparking outrage.

She was shown berating the group of Anhui visitors for not spending enough and threatening to lock them out of their hotel rooms.

"I think this Ah Zhen spoke out only because she wanted to secure her [tour guide] license," a caller surnamed Wong, who claimed to be a tour guide, told RTHK. "I think new immigrants should improve themselves, don't think that you can get rich by getting a tour guide license," Wong added.

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Li, who moved from Hubei to Hong Kong about a decade ago, has been a tour guide for seven years.

Another caller, surnamed Mak, said: "She was merely explaining the situation, trying to say that tourists didn't want to be forced into shopping but just paid 610 yuan (HK$698) for the tour."

Li admitted on Tuesday she lost control after one tourist used rude words on a shopping stop. But the mainland tourist surnamed Wang, who shot the video, hit back at Li later that night, claiming her version of events was untrue.

Caller Wong also said the Travel Industry Council should be disbanded because it is run by top management in the industry, and that the government should be issuing tour guide licenses.

Mak also pointed a finger at Golden Win International Travel Services, the travel agency that hired Li. "I was so annoyed when I heard the representative from the travel agency saying people should understand when they just paid 610 yuan for the tour. But understand what? They should be forced to shop? There must be a bottom line," Mak said.

Li said zero or low-fare tour groups are a structural problem and it is beyond her control.

A shop owner surnamed Chan said: "Travel agencies earn commissions that are a lot more than the income from the fares, so they are very keen on forcing tourists to shop."