Shandong limits overseas tours for provincial officials

East China's Shandong province has introduced rules to restrict overseas trips by government workers using public funds. As well as the size of such trips being restricted, provincial officials are limited to only one such tour a year, the Dazhong Daily reported.

Over-spending on lavish foreign trips by officials has caused an outcry from taxpayers who regard such travel as a waste of public money. Such boondoggles often include stays at expensive hotels, visits to tourist locations, and other such luxuries under the guise of work and at public expense.

The new rules both limit the numbers of trips by officials at various levels and stipulate that all such tours should be for work purposes only.

In addition, groups should be limited to six people or fewer, and family members are strictly excluded.

The authorities specified that the rules are meant to set a hard limit for trips, not to encourage officials to make more such expeditions.

Trips can't be arranged for specific people and should have solid content, and vague "study" visits are now banned.

Retired staff are also forbidden from being sent abroad at public expense.

All government workers are banned from making overseas trips when invited by Chinese-funded enterprises, unless the department is dealing with affairs directly relating to the enterprises.

Charted flights, and high-end wine and food are forbidden during the trips, and the funds spent for the trips can't be channeled to businesses tied to the officials overseas.