The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) is urging that cheap tours for mainland travelers to the city be abolished and that a minimum fee be established, to rid the industry of the ugly scar resulting from tourists being abused and virtually ordered to make purchases at retail shops during tours.
The video of the Hong Kong tour guide Jane berating her mainland clients continues to create an uproar in the city's inbound tourism industry. Hotels, restaurants, retailers and services all stand to suffer because some tour companies charge rock bottom prices for tours, but expect travelers to spend lavishly during the tours. The federation dismissed the notion of better governance of tour guides and licensing, saying the real problem is inherent in the cut-rate tours.
"The key point is to settle down a per-day minimum charge over every mainland visitor," says Leung Fu-wah, vice-president of the FTU. "It's the fundamental to protect the welfare of travelers, help them distinguish 'shopping tour groups' from 'travel groups', as well as to insure the base pay of tour guides."
Leung issued his suggestions along with a proposal calling for "solutions to the deep-seated problems of the Hong Kong travel industry" on Friday. The proposal charged that the entire tourism industry suffers from a "chaotic management structure" and ambiguity about regulations pertaining to travel charges levied on mainland visitors. The proposal ended with a strong appeal for the settlement of minimum charges instead of enactment of inefficient measures.
Minimum charges for inbound group travelers are clearly defined in other countries and regions, says the proposal. Taiwan stipulates a minimum charge of NT$1,000 ($31) per day. Thailand charges a minimum of HK$350 per day.
According to Tourism Board statistics cited in the proposal, complaints about the Hong Kong tourism industry from mainland travelers have been a problem for several years, but erupted into a serious issue last year. Of 325 complaints from travelers in 2009, 313 (96.3 percent) were made by mainland visitors. Some of the complaints from mainlanders concerned so called forced shopping.
Addressing the reasons for the practice, Ann Yu Li-hua, Chairman of the Hong Kong Professional Tourist Guides General Union, explained that the important difference between what she referred to as "normal tourism trade" and "abnormal tourism trade" is that the charges for the "abnormal tourism business" only pay the fees of mainland booking agencies and that co-operating Hong Kong travel agencies don't make any money except from commissions earned from travelers' purchases.
"Tour guides are in the lowest position in the travel industry but bear the most pressure," says Lam Chi Ting, vice president of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union. "And this ends up with immoral shopping tour tactics."
"It's time for the government to bring some real changes to the nature of the industry instead of taking remedial measures," says Ip Wai Ming, a member of the Legislative Council.
The proposal, jointly released by the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union and the Hong Kong Professional Tourist Guides General Union, didn't propose a minimum charge, saying there was a diversity of views on the issue. The groups appealed to the government to hold public consultations on minimum charges.
沒有留言:
張貼留言