Hong Kong commerce chief unveils plan to end 'forced shopping' for mainland Chinese tourists
Hong Kong’s tourism industry watchdog is ready to soon roll out reinforced measures to stem “forced shopping”, including handing to mainland authorities the names of suspected “shadow visitors” and making public how much group tours to the city normally should cost, the commerce minister said.
Hong Kong's tourism watchdog is ready to roll out reinforced measures to stem "forced shopping", including handing to mainland authorities the names of suspected "shadow visitors" who push tourists into spending at shops, lawmakers have heard.
The Travel Industry Council may also make public the normal market prices of group tours from the mainland, according to the commerce minister.
As well, local tour agencies could be required to submit name lists of visitors and their group leaders before their arrival for the council's scrutiny.
The proposed initiatives, announced yesterday, are to be enforced "as soon as possible".
A day earlier, customs had arrested, in connection with an alleged case of forced shopping, a sales supervisor at a Hung Hom jewellery store where a tourist was said to have been beaten last month before he died in hospital.
"If the council, during its spot checks, found the names of some mainland visitors appear repeatedly on the lists of different tour groups, there would be reason to suspect these people were 'shadow visitors' who coerced visitors into shopping," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung told reporters at the Legislative Council. "The council would then submit those names to the relevant authorities on the mainland for follow-up action."
So said that, by requiring travel agencies to publicise the cost of hosting tour groups from the mainland, transparency would be improved without violating competition laws.
Potential visitors who saw the prevailing tour costs would be better able "to make an informed decision", he said.
So was to fly to Beijing next week to discuss with tourism authorities how cross-border cooperation could be beefed up to clamp down on the long-running malpractice of "forced shopping", which he said was threatening the city's reputation as a travel destination.
Council chairman Michael Wu Siu-ieng said the council would soon arrange a meeting on the new measures.
"Once the board approves the proposal, tour operators will have to give us lists of inbound mainland tourists," Wu said. "Logically, no matter how much you liked the city, you would not come here on tour groups every week. We will screen out those suspicious visitors."
The idea of making public travel fares, however, must be put to the government-appointed Competition Commission first, he said.
Tourism-sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing said the mainland authorities had to cooperate with the local industry in order to ensure the effectiveness of the measures.
"We do not have the right to deny them entry just because they come often," Yiu said. "The mainland authorities should suspend their visit permits."
He also urged local law enforcement agencies to step up checks and action against "forced shopping". "We should not take action only when we receive complaints."
