HK vows to fix tours
Source: Xinhua |
July 23, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ON the heels of embarrassing incidents in which mainland tourists were pressured to shop, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau said yesterday that a special task force has been set up to look into problems deriving from "zero fee" tours.
Speaking after a meeting with board members of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Lau said the reports of mainland tourists being forced to shop have seriously hurt the reputation of Hong Kong's tourism industry and there is an urgent need to redeem mainland tourists' confidence.
The council soon will deliver messages about quality tours to mainland tourists at main tourism spots, shopping centers and arrival ports, Lau said.
Lau added that the task force will look deeper into the whole system of qualifications required of tour guides before they are issued tour guide licenses.
The task force, jointly established by the city's government and the TIC, will also examine the need to look at any enforcement aspects to assure that tour guides comply with required standards.
A number of TV stations in the mainland recently broadcast a clip showing a female tour guide scolding a mainland tourist for refusing to shop.
On May 22, a tourist from Hunan Province died of a suspected heart attack after having conflicts with an unlicensed tour guide.
Lau said the task force will release a report in late September with recommendations on how to fix the tour-guide problems.
Speaking after a meeting with board members of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Lau said the reports of mainland tourists being forced to shop have seriously hurt the reputation of Hong Kong's tourism industry and there is an urgent need to redeem mainland tourists' confidence.
The council soon will deliver messages about quality tours to mainland tourists at main tourism spots, shopping centers and arrival ports, Lau said.
Lau added that the task force will look deeper into the whole system of qualifications required of tour guides before they are issued tour guide licenses.
The task force, jointly established by the city's government and the TIC, will also examine the need to look at any enforcement aspects to assure that tour guides comply with required standards.
A number of TV stations in the mainland recently broadcast a clip showing a female tour guide scolding a mainland tourist for refusing to shop.
On May 22, a tourist from Hunan Province died of a suspected heart attack after having conflicts with an unlicensed tour guide.
Lau said the task force will release a report in late September with recommendations on how to fix the tour-guide problems.
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