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Tour guides are leading Hong Kong travel industry in the wrong direction

Lau Ping Cheung says new regulations being introduced by the Travel Industry Council are mostly sensible, and opposition to them by some local travel agencies is hard to understand

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Tour guides, drivers and others working in the inbound mainland tourism industry have previously protested against proposed new guidelines by the Travel Industry Council; in this case, in a demonstration in Central in 2011. Photo: Felix Wong

Earlier this week, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying made a point, following an Executive Council meeting, that members of the tourism industry should cooperate and seek common ground.

His comments followed uncooperative action by some members of the tourism industry, in response to the Travel Industry Council’s tightening of rules aimed at better protecting visitors’ rights. New measures include a refund protection scheme, which allows the council to suspend the registration of shops under investigation by law enforcement agencies over possible violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, as well as measures to try to stamp out the practice of forced shopping under new directives next week.

READ MORE: Tour guides protest strict checks in Hong Kong by not wearing their licences

This is by no means a singular appeal by Leung, but one that is backed by significant public opinion. Yet some travel agencies have decided to go against this sentiment, possibly due to their vested interest in some of the registered shops.

Mainland tourists shop for jewellery in Hung Hom as part of an organised tour group. Despite high prices and unfavourable exchange rates, they continue to spend large amounts of their income on cut-price trips to Hong Kong. Photo: EPA
Mainland tourists shop for jewellery in Hung Hom as part of an organised tour group. Despite high prices and unfavourable exchange rates, they continue to spend large amounts of their income on cut-price trips to Hong Kong. Photo: EPA
Such shops are registered with the council through the travel agent concerned. Under the council’s new measures, they will provide full refunds to any dissatisfied visitors who return their purchases within six months (for mainland inbound tour groups) or within 14 days (for overseas inbound tour groups).
Tour guides have repeatedly made the headlines for forcing mainland visitors to make purchases at registered shops

Under the council’s regulations, tourist guides must not, in any way, coerce or attempt to coerce visitors into making purchases, or mislead or attempt to mislead them into doing so.

The reality, however, is rather different. Tour guides have repeatedly made the headlines for forcing mainland visitors to make purchases at registered shops, from which they then receive a commission. In one incident, a 53-year-old mainland tourist died after allegedly being beaten unconscious while trying to mediate a dispute that broke out between a fellow visitor and their tour guide.

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