Travelers who are injured in accidents while on group tours organized by legitimate travel agencies will receive compensation of up to 150,000 yuan (US$18,500), according to a new regulation approved by Guangdong Province recently.

The regulation, the first of its kind in the nation, is to easily settle the claims of travelers involved in accidents. Currently, travelers are usually covered by two insurance policies, one being travel service liability in case the travel agency itself is responsible only for the injury or death caused by the travel agency itself, and the other being the travel accident insurance paid by the travelers themselves. However only between 20 and 30 percent of travelers in a group buy travel accident insurance, thus giving rise to the need for the new regulation.

The regulation will be implemented in the near future, according to the provincial tourism bureau.

(Shenzhen Daily November 22, 2005)