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)