Pact boosts fight against tourism malpractices

Macau was one of the few regional destinations to boost its tourist figures in May but the Pacific Asia Travel Association expects ‘a stronger third quarter’

The tourism boards from mainland China and Macau have implemented specific measures this month to jointly tackle irregularities in the industry, including the practices of “zero-fee tour packages” and “forced shopping”.
An agreement has been reached between the National Tourism Administration of China and the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and came into effect on August 1.
It imposes six requirements for contracts signed between mainland travel agencies in charge of tour groups and Macau travel agencies responsible for receiving mainland tours, according to the MGTO statement yesterday.
The initiative is aimed to “reinforce regulations in the mainland tourism market outbound for Macau, further enhance tourism service quality and also facilitate healthy and orderly development in the market”.
It is required that the contracts have to “clearly state” the specific arrangements including meals, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment, and to point out shopping venues in Macau, the number of shopping itineraries and the length of stay.
The contracts also need to detail what tour group fees include and if there are optional itineraries that require visitors to pay for their own, the content and prices will have to be noted as well.
In addition, the responsibilities and obligations of mainland travel agencies and tour group leaders will have to be identified. Agencies are not allowed to attract tourists by offering a quotation lower than the cost and transfer of the tour group to other travel bodies without visitor consent.
Tour group leaders are also forbidden from “forcing tourists to shop” and must “safeguard tourist’s legal rights and interests”.
Moreover, it has been agreed that Macau travel agencies and their tour guides cannot “deceive or force” mainland visitors to shop or “force” them to participate in optional itineraries.
The MGTO said the agreement is an “important part” of “quality tourism” being jointly developed by the travel industries in mainland China and Macau.
The office also said it carries a “positive meaning in promoting healthy growth in the mainland tourism market for Macau”.

‘Positive’ outlook

Meanwhile, visitor arrivals into the Asia-Pacific will grow even faster in the third quarter of this year, said an executive from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), as Macau was one of the few Northeast Asia destinations to boost its tourism figures in May.
According to preliminary results international visitor arrivals grew by four percent year-on-year in May.
However, growth in arrivals to Northeast Asia was a weak 0.6 percent for the month, mainly due to the impact of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and following nuclear disaster in Japan. Arrival numbers in Japan plunged by 50 percent and Japanese visitors abroad also declined, affecting China, Taiwan.
On the contrary, foreign arrival growth for Hong Kong (up 15 percent), Macau (up nine percent) and South Korea (up two percent) remained positive during May.
“Intra-regional travel remains the key,” Kris Lim said. “The dynamic China and India outbound markets continue to expand at a rapid pace with many Indian and Chinese travellers visiting Southeast Asia.”
“The outlook remains broadly positive in the second half of the year,” the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre director said in a statement released yesterday.
“Coupled with the gradual easing of negative growth seen in Japan, the arrivals growth momentum is expected to continue,” he added.
“We are hopeful of a stronger third quarter boosted by the northern hemisphere summer holiday period,” Lim said.
According to PATA’s predictions, some 27.4 million tourists will visit Macau this year. In the first half, the territory has received 13.2 million visitors, up by 8.3 percent year-on-year.

N.L./V.Q.