The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council has released for public scrutiny a draft regulation covering travel agencies. The draft includes business rules, legal responsibilities of travel agencies and their staff, as well as measures for supervision and inspection, according to the Information Times.

The draft stipulates that travel agencies involved with deceiving or bulldozing tourists into shopping should be fined 100,000-500,000 yuan, their business licenses revoked, and penalties incurred.

The draft regulation also states that travel agencies as well as guides and tour leaders must take all necessary measures to secure the personal safety of tourists and deal with any and all tourist problems. Agencies who do not stick to the rules will be fined 20,000 to 100,000 yuan. Violators will suffer serious consequences: they will be asked to close down and/or they will lose their business licenses. Also, tourist guide qualification certificates and tour leader qualification certificates will be revoked.

Travel agencies must not attract tourists by offering services at under cost prices. Per regulations, agencies also should unconditionally adhere to the tour fees indicated in tour contracts.

Tour contracts should include transportation, food and beverage, accommodations as well as a list of standards. All tour fees paid by tourists as well as the names of shopping locations arranged by travel agencies should also be indicated in the contracts.

Most of the travel agencies in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, approve of the draft regulation. The draft proves that greater efforts have been made to protect tourist interests, but detailed rules are needed to make it more applicable, commented a vice general manager of a tour agency in Guangzhou.

(China.org.cn by Yang Xi, December 7, 2007)