Report on tourist complaints released, Hubei tops the list

Relevant legal regulations and appropriate market supervision are necessary for a healthy travel environment.[Photo/IC]

The People's Daily website recently released a report on tourist complaints in the second quarter of 2015, in which Hubei, Beijing, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hainan are among the top places receiving the most tourist complaints.

Negative opinions from tourists are mainly rooted in the following categories of travel-related issues: traffic accidents, verbal abuse from travel guides, mandatory shopping, complaints against online travel operators etc.

Extreme cases like a Yunnan tourist guide verbally abusing tourists, claiming that food would not be provided unless the visitors shop in some designated stores, or another tour guide in Zhangjiajie even using a knife to force travelers into shopping have ignited waves of public anger. Detailed regulations targeted at these misbehaviors are called for by both media professionals and the public.

Another noteworthy feature of the report is that complaints against online travel agencies are increasing in the past three months. Two online travel operators Ctrip and Qunar.com are among the top two agencies that received the most complaints, with issues revolving around refunds of air tickets, hotel reservations, travel itineraries etc. As more and more consumers choose online travel products, one drawback is that consumers can't have full access to information, and the immature online travel market has many legal loopholes that might lead to the violation of consumers' rights to a fair transaction.

Regardless of where the most complaints come from, relevant legal regulations and appropriate market supervision are necessary for a healthy travel environment, experts say.