2011-02-19 09:36

BEIJING - The National Tourism Administration has strengthened its supervision of trips to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in response to a recent series of conflicts occurring between mainland tourists and local travel guides.

The administration, writing on its website on Friday, called on tourism agencies to provide advice to outbound tourists.

And an administration announcement released late on Friday said contracts between travelers and tour agencies should clearly state the rights and duties of both parties and that group guides should become better at defusing animosity.

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have long been considered good destinations for tourists and are among mainland residents' favorite places to visit. According to some estimates, seven out of every 10 tourists from China's mainland travel to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan each year.

Yet, with all their attractions, those places have become the sites of repeated physical confrontations this year.

Early this week, a 26-member group from Northeast China's Liaoning province came into conflict with a guide. According to reports, three members of the group became incensed because they believed they had been picked up late after their arrival from Hong Kong, and attacked a Macao tour guide on Monday.

The fight roused the anger of dozens of local tour guides, who surrounded the tour bus for several hours and demanded an apology and 200,000 patacas ($25,000) in compensation for the injury of their colleague.

Local law enforcement authorities are investigating the case.

Hong Kong has also seen a series of conflicts during the Spring Festival holiday. The latest occurred on Feb 6, when two mainland tourists and a Hong Kong tour guide were involved in a fight after the guide, according to reports, insulted the tourists for not buying goods in local shops.

In Alishan, one of the most well-known scenic spots in Taiwan, a fight was reported to have started over accusations of queue jumping, leading to the injuries of two mainland tourists and a Taiwan tour guide.

Those in the travel industry are taking various steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

Yao Yao, marketing manager with the Beijing-based company China Comfort Travel, said the agency gives regular briefings to outbound tourists one week before their trip.

He said group guides are not only supposed to give travel advice but also dispense information about local laws and attempt to curb any indecency displayed by the tourists under their charge.

Ma Yiliang, a researcher at China Tourism Academy, said agencies should concentrate on the quality of a trip instead of placing most of their attention in luring tourists to spend money in shops. And travelers also need to be careful when choosing a travel package.

Zhang Wei, general manager of the outbound travel department of China International Travel Service, told China Daily that disputes often occur on trips entailing a practice known as "forced shopping".

"Tourists should be careful of those tour packages, which offer cheaper rates," Zhang said, "They often require tourists to go on forced shopping trips, which are more likely to lead to disputes."

In 2006, China issued rules governing tourism etiquette for citizens traveling abroad. According to the rules, Chinese tourists must observe local standards of good behavior, such as waiting in line for one's turn and throwing trash away in a can rather than littering.