Ambiguous terms, like "luxurious" and "equal to 2-star" (hotel), will be banned from local tourist advertisements from April, the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission said yesterday.

Advertising jargon of unclear or misleading meanings may also include "close to 3-star," "super 5-star," "packaged prices" and "free insurances," all of which can be seen frequently, according to Su Guangjian, director of the inbound tour department of the commission.

"When advertising, travel agencies should list clearly the hotel ranks and service contents and standards to testify the luxury-level of their tours, instead of simply using a general adjective," he said. "The prices should be indicated together with the service items they cover, and the type of free insurances should be clarified."

The commission recommended that all businesses correct the misuse before the Spring Festival, but the ban won't come into force until April.

Jin fang, a vice director of the commission, pointed out that dishonesty regarding prices, service and advertising are major problems with many local agencies.

He said the agencies tend to give empty promises to trap customers, and later, deny responsibility by using paronomasia in ads or contracts.

To tackle the problems, the commission requires travel agencies to list clearly in any contract the standards of all inclusive services, their prices, as well as additional terms such as the exact number of compulsive shopping during the tour.

The commission has begun collecting basic facts, rating information and previous records of service quality of all tourist businesses in the city, including more than 700 travel agencies, 360 star ranked hotels and 3,300 inns, and will gradually put the information online.

(Shanghai Daily January 10, 2006)