Saturday, February 17, 2007

Hong Kong ban on forcing Chinese to shop

Hong Kong travel agencies bringing tours from China will no longer be allowed to force tourists to shop.

The Travel Industry Council will fine agencies that fail to give tourists detailed itineraries.

Agencies also have to issue reminders that tourists do not have to go shopping if they do not want to.

The move follows an outcry over "zero-fee" tours, in which guides make only the commission gained from the shops to which they take their clients.

From now on, travel agencies must provide written guarantees to tourists from China that they will not be forced into shopping.

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