Tourists duped into overpaying
Starting in January 2018, Chinese tour guides will no longer be able to escort organized tours to destinations that feature gambling, drugs or the sex industry.
The China National Tourism Administration has pledged to revoke the licenses of tour guides who organize such excursions, and possibly add penalties of up to 20,000 yuan (US$3,022) for violations of the law.
According to CaixinGlobal.com, many tourists have been victimized by unscrupulous tour operators who offer budget trips operated below cost. These tour guides make a profit by working with souvenir shops to fleece travelers.
In one instance in July, five Beijing tour guides were jailed for forcing clients on a discount tour to pay more than the stated tour price. And in 2014, an unlicensed tour guide and his employer were fined a total of 310,000 yuan after the guide was filmed “hurling abuses” at tourists who refused to make purchases at several designated shops.
“Given the sometimes-abusive nature of tour groups, the move is may be an effort by the Chinese government to nip this kind of problem in the bud before tour groups start fleecing tourists for revenue through unscrupulous relationships with gaming centers, bars, or operators in the sex industry,” JingTravel.com noted.
