With the approach of the May Day holidays, the Shenzhen tourism authority Thursday urged a safety check to be carried out in the city's tourism sector.

Yi Nengquan, vice director-general of the Shenzhen Municipal Tourism Bureau, said the tourism industry should keep alert for danger at every link of the sector, including catering, transport and recreational facilities.

"The authority will severely punish tourism operators who disrupt the market order by providing unreasonably lower prices," Yi said.

On the same day, the bureau opened an online statistics reporting system, through which the bureau would collect statistical data more efficiently during the May Day holidays.

Using the system, tourism enterprises, such as hotels, travel agencies and theme parks, can submit their business statistics directly to www.szta.gov.cn.

(Shenzhen Daily April 23, 2004)