By Kang Bing (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-22 07:30

Want to go on a trip? The most convenient way seems to be joining a packaged tour. You scan the advertisements, find a good bargain, sign a contract with a travel agent, and all the while not knowing you might be falling into a trap.

Better living standards have led to a prosperous travel market in this country. So attractive is the industry that travel agencies have sprung up like mushrooms. The latest statistics are not yet available, but the 2004 figure showed there were 13,467 travel agencies in China, double the figure at the turn of the century.

When you have to choose someone you can trust from such a sea of travel agents, you can bet you are stepping into a risky business.

Before this Spring Festival, a friend of mine and her family decided to go to Yunnan for a week's visit as part of a travel group. The trip included three nights in tropical Xishuangbanna, to escape the cold of Beijing. She discussed all the details with the travel agent, received a number of promises, and signed the contract.

They set off on what was to be a week-long nightmare.

"We soon found out that the agency had turned our tour into a shopping one," she said. Each day, they were driven to numerous shops and were persuaded to buy tea, arts and crafts, medicines, precious stones and many other items. When the group complained and refused to do anymore shopping, both the guide and the driver went on a strike - refusing to take them to the next destination on their itinerary.

"We later found out that both the guide and the driver were not paid by the travel agency but depended on shopping commissions. But that's not our fault and we should not have been taken advantage of," my friend said.

The guide and the driver had turned members of the group into shopping hostages. They were taken on so many shopping expeditions, there was insufficient time to visit some of the scenic spots as detailed in the contracts. Arguments never ceased and occasionally there were tussles between the guide and members of the group. On one occasion, the driver even left five of his passengers behind.

On the group's arrival in Xishuangbanna, new hassles were waiting. Three nights in the tropical region? No. You can stay for only one night. The explanation was that there must have been some misunderstanding between the agency in Beijing and the local agent. Amendments to the group's itinerary was impossible - return air tickets from Xishuangbanna to Kunming had already been booked.

When my friend called the Beijing agency, she was told the local Yunnan agent was to blame and when she talked to the Yunnan agent she was told the Beijing agent should be held responsible.

Three weeks after they returned to Beijing, they are still waiting for a proper answer from the Beijing agency, which may never come.

My friend's travel story is just one of thousands that take place every day. These irregularities will eventually damage the image of China's prosperous tourism industry. I think it is high time for the authorities to take measures to properly regulate the travel agencies. The following should be considered:

Raise the qualification standards for the registration of a travel agency. The present registration fee of 300,000 yuan should also be increased.

Stiffer punishment should be meted out to agencies that violate the Labor Law and those that cheat.

A more efficient complaint system should be set up to help aggrieved tourists.

E-mail: kangbing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/22/2008 page8)