Local residents in Guangdong Province's Shenzhen have been asked
to choose good quality travel agencies and study contracts with
care to avoid falling into traps like arbitrary price hikes by
travel agencies when planning tours to Hong Kong and Macao during
the May Day holiday week.
The main problems of the tourism industry include irregular
operations and poor services caused by competition, and
unpredictable flight delays, according to a meeting jointly
organized by consumer councils of Shenzhen and Hong Kong
yesterday.
"Travelers should avoid zero-fee tours, which obviously cheat
out of business by forced shopping and reducing service standards,"
the meeting was told.
People should know every detail of their itinerary including
meals, hotel, logistics, tourist spots, and even guide fees, before
signing contracts, said Chan Wing-kai, head of the complaints and
advice division of Hong Kong Consumer Council (HKCC).
"If any dispute arises, consumers can complain to the HKCC,"
said Chan.
The Travel Industry Council Hong Kong recently formulated tough
measures to crack down on tourist shopping scams, requiring
retailers to provide refunds for up to six months from the date of
purchase.
Retailers in Hong Kong are banned from changing their company
names within a year of receiving a complaint.
Shops wishing to register for tour group business will have to
sign an agreement to honor the request for a refund
unconditionally, even if the packaging on the purchased item has
been removed. Travel companies will not be allowed to bring tour
groups to shops that have not signed.
The council's increasingly tough stance against shops comes amid
growing concerns over constant negative publicity in Hong Kong and
on the mainland over the past two weeks.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board said the number of mainland visitors
dropped between 8 and 9 percent year on year in the first 10 days
of this month, according to the South China Morning
Post.
(Shenzhen Daily April 25, 2007)