Many places crack down on disorder in the tourism industry, including tour guide misconduct and forced消费

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on August 5 that it is jointly advancing a special campaign with the Cyberspace Administration of China to address issues such as unruly behavior by tour guides and mandatory消费 in the tourism industry, while also carrying out concurrent governance of illegal online solicitation. This operation focuses on clearing out违规 tourism product information on short videos, livestreams, and social platforms, and cracking down on activities such as unlicensed solicitation, false advertising, mandatory shopping, and unauthorized tour guiding. The announcement listed 13 typical cases involving multiple travel agencies and individuals in places including Chongqing, Shanxi, Guangdong, Hubei, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Shandong. Some businesses claimed on platforms that their trips were “pure play” and had “no shopping,” but in reality they would charge extra fees on the spot, arrange shopping itineraries, or replace scenic spots mentioned in their promotions with other activities; others, including individuals and organizations, organized tours and provided guiding services through social platforms without obtaining a travel agency operating license or tour guide certificate. Relevant departments have imposed penalties on the parties involved in accordance with the law, including confiscation of illegal gains, fines, and orders to suspend business for rectification. In some serious cases of noncompliant travel agencies, their business operation permits were also revoked. The authorities said they will continue promoting coordinated online and offline governance of the tourism market, hold platforms and operating entities accountable, and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of tourists.