Travel agencies booking group trips to Hong Kong and Macao will be urged to use digital forms for government approval starting on Sept 1, in a move aimed at curbing illegal travel operators in Guangdong province that might cheat mainland tourists.
By the end of this year, all outbound tourism in groups will adpot digital forms only, the China National Tourism Administration said.
The move is a reflection that illegal travel operators have violated tourists' rights by accessing paper forms with official stamps from the black market, said Peng Zhikai, head of the administration's supervision and management division.
Digital forms can help monitor travel groups and deal with tourists' complaints, Peng said.
"One of the most prominent complaints from tourists was about cheap travel services provided by those illegal agencies," Peng said. "Replying on paper forms to monitor and regulate the travel market was not efficient."
Guangdong province was chosen for the pilot project because it is "an important source of outbound tourists", Peng said. "The pilot project in Guangdong could provide references to other provinces and cities."
Since China introduced the individual visit plan in 2003, travelers from the Chinese mainland have been able to visit Hong Kong and Macao with a G type visa. The program is now implemented in 49 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, and the whole of Guangdong province.
Those from other cities must use an L type visa available only for group visits.
Wu Dan, a civil servant from Taizhou of Jiangsu province, said she welcomed the measure to protect travelers' rights, but said she hoped the individual visa could be extended to more mainland cities.
"Most of my friends prefer to plan trips on our own, instead of making trips with groups of strangers," said Wu, 29.
According to the newspaper Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, all blank paper tourism forms with official stamps should be handed over to legal travel agencies. However, some travel agencies do not regulate the forms properly.
"Some illegal travel operators bought the forms and provided zero-fee packages to attract tourists," said the official daily newspaper of the Shenzhen government.
