For a period of time, people's enthusiasm for travel has continued to rise, and the tourism market of some emerging destinations has risen rapidly. According to the booking data of a number of travel platforms, the number of people traveling during this year's May Day holiday is expected to hit a record high.
However, there are also a lot of chaos behind the tourism boom: a large number of disputes arise from low-cost tours, the goods are not the right for group tours, the commercialization of scenic spots is serious, and the uncivilized behavior of tourists is frequent......
In order to promote the healthy and orderly development of the tourism market, the rule of law Jingwei edition will launch a series of reports from today, focusing on tourism chaos and exploring ways to govern according to law. Stay tuned.
"The low-cost tour became a shopping tour. Mr. Yang from Xinyang City, Henan Province, talked about his recent experience of traveling to a provincial capital city in southwest China, and his tone was full of anger and helplessness.
At the beginning of April this year, he and his friends signed up for a tour group, declaring that "1,000 yuan, two people, 5 days and 4 nights in Guizhou, without any other consumption". During the tour, they are not only required to pay insurance premiums, transportation expenses in the scenic area, etc., but also are pulled to various shopping spots every day, selling jade, medicine, and silver jewelry...... It is recommended to buy various products non-stop.
Many tourists have "experienced" similar encounters. According to the 2024 "Stimulating Consumption Vitality" Consumer Rights Protection Year theme survey report released by the China Consumers Association, 28.5% of respondents are most concerned about the "hidden forced shopping problem of low-cost tour groups" after taking stock of typical consumer public opinion events in the past year.
In recent years, unreasonable low-cost tours have been the object of heavy rectification by the tourism management department, but unreasonable low-cost tours in the tourism market are still repeatedly prohibited. What are the pitfalls of unreasonable low-priced tours? How to eradicate this chaotic phenomenon? This reporter recently conducted an investigation and interview.
The low-cost tour is actually a shopping tour
The actual cost is much higher than the tour price
"The original price is 1,000 yuan for five days and four nights, and now book to register to enjoy the half-price travel subsidy for cultural tourism, two people travel with one person for free, the price after the discount is 1,000 yuan for two people for 5 days and 4 nights, Guiyang 24-hour all-weather pick-up plane/high-speed rail/train, including cost details: scenic tickets, hotels, meals, 24-hour pick-up and drop-off stations, insurance, tour guides, tourist cars, all included. ”
When Mr. Yang swiped this ad on his mobile phone in early April this year, he was instantly attracted and immediately signed up with his friends.
After arriving at the destination, the tour bus stopped at the meeting point, and Mr. Yang and other tourists boarded the bus one after another. As soon as he sat down, the tour guide asked each person to pay 100 yuan in insurance premiums, saying that it was mandatory for the destination scenic spot to pay. Mr. Yang objected, saying that when he signed up, he confirmed that the price of 1,000 yuan included insurance premiums. The tour guide said that the insurance premium on the road is included, and the insurance premium in the scenic area needs to be paid separately.
"If a tourist doesn't pay it, the bus won't go. In desperation, Mr. Yang and his friend paid 200 yuan in insurance premium, "but we didn't see the insurance policy until the end of the trip."
After the bus arrived at the first scenic spot, the tour guide asked the tourists to pay 140 yuan per person, saying that it was the transportation expenses such as battery cars in the scenic spot......
Mr. Yang recalled to reporters that in the next four days, the tour guide took tourists to shopping stores every day, brainwashing and moral kidnapping of tourists, such as "such a cheap group, we are all doing it at a loss, you should support it." What's even more exaggerated is that the tour guide also took tourists to listen to a two-hour shopping lecture on how to distinguish real and fake jadeite, etc., and did not let them go without listening.
"Under the recommendation of the tour guide, some tourists spent seven or eight thousand yuan to buy goods, but later found out that the shopping store that the tour guide took us to turned out to be a fake jade shop and a fake medicinal herb store that had been exposed. Mr. Yang said.
Ms. Lin from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, had a similar experience.
At the beginning of this year, she signed up for a group tour of Hong Kong and Macao, known as "Hong Kong and Macao luxury tour for 5 days and 4 nights", each person only needs to pay 1080 yuan, including food, accommodation and scenic spots, except for personal expenses There is no follow-up fee. Ms. Lin thought she had picked up a big bargain, "I didn't expect that as soon as we arrived at the meeting place, the tour guide asked each of us to pay 60 yuan in insurance premiums, 200 yuan in tips for the driver, and 200 yuan in attraction tickets, and we would not be allowed to get on the bus if we didn't pay."
Ms. Lin said that after the trip began, the tour guide opened and closed his mouth to sell goods, and spent most of the day visiting the shopping store, even if he did not consume, he had to stay in the shopping store for two hours, and the time to see the attractions was less than an hour.
"The food and accommodation are not the same as advertised, the accommodation is far away from the city, and the overall experience is very poor. Ms. Lin said.
The reporter noticed that similar low-cost tour advertisements were not uncommon in online live broadcast rooms.
"Departing from Beijing, praying for Wutai Mountain, 246 yuan for two days and one night, the cost includes round-trip transportation, two meals and one breakfast, tickets for Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, excellent Buddhist tour guides, and one night of accommodation in Wutai Mountain. ”
Seeing the recommendation of the anchor in the live broadcast room of a certain platform, Mr. Zhang in Chaoyang District, Beijing was moved: if you go by yourself, the round-trip ticket, ticket, and accommodation will be at least a few hundred yuan. He read the contents of the "Tourist Notice" from beginning to end, and found that the last stop of the daily itinerary was "×× souvenir shop". Mr. Zhang raised a question in the live broadcast room, and the anchor responded: "The money is in the pockets of tourists, and it is up to tourists to decide whether to spend it or not." ”
Although he was skeptical, the price was too attractive, so Mr. Zhang still chose to sign up. However, after arriving at Wutai Mountain, the originally claimed "four-diamond hotel" became a small hotel with no rating. In the early morning of the next day, they were taken by the tour guide to a handicraft shop run by a person to "ask for incense", saying that if they did not "ask for incense", they were not sincere in their hearts, and there would be disasters, and the price of "asking for incense" ranged from 400 yuan, 600 yuan, and 800 yuan. After the tourists asked for incense, the store said that they could see the face for free, and then said that the health and financial luck of the tourists were not good, and the solution was to ask for a kneeling mat or natal Buddha that cost thousands of yuan.
"Being said like this, coupled with the fact that there are many elderly people in the group, many people have paid out of their pockets. Mr. Zhang said.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao 7-day tour 499 yuan, Shaoshan Guilin 6 days and 5 nights tour 399 yuan...... The explosive price, coupled with eye-catching words such as "pure play", makes people feel excited about all kinds of low-cost tours, but the reporter's investigation found that even if the words "pure play group" and "no shopping" are marked in a prominent position, there will eventually be insurance premiums, scenic transportation fees and other charging items, as well as a large number of shopping links, and the cost of tourists often far exceeds the group fee.
There is a gray chain of interests
Spread quickly with the help of the platform
A platform blogger who has been paying attention to the chaos in the tourism market, "Brother Hui's Travels" (hereinafter referred to as Brother Hui), has participated in various unreasonable low-cost tours. He analyzed that the logic of unreasonable low-cost tours is not to let everyone travel, but to make tourists who join the group continue to spend money through coaxing and deception.
Brother Hui revealed that some of the unreasonable low-cost groups are KB groups ("keep back", which means rebates, also known as gambling groups), and tourists sign up to participate in only group clubs, and it is not necessarily which local receiving agency will receive them in the end.
"It can be seen from the name that the profit point of tourism enterprises is not in the provision of tourism services themselves, but in the process of tourism into the store and the rebate provided by the secondary consumption, the group company attracts tourists to join the group, and then transfers the tourists to the local agency, according to the regional consumption capacity to divide, by the group to set the price. Brother Hui said, for example, a tourism product of the group company sells 1,000 yuan per person, and after handing it over to the local agency, the local agency returns 2,000 yuan to the group company, and the group company makes a profit of 3,000 yuan.
Brother Hui said that the losses of the local reception agency, including transportation expenses, room fees, ticket fees and other expenses, need to be made up by a large number of shopping rebates and high-priced self-paid project rebates;
There is also an unreasonable low-cost tour called the rubbing group, also called the ordinary KB group, that is, the local receiving agency receives tourists at the cost price or a slightly lower price than the cost, for example, the cost of the 5-day and 4-night tour of the local receiving agency is 1500 yuan per person, the price of the group is 1600 yuan per person, and the local receiving agency gives the group company a profit of 600 yuan per person, and the local receiving agency loses 500 yuan per person to receive it. Such an itinerary also requires tourists to make money from shopping and experiencing self-pay items, because the pressure on local operators is less, and tourists are generally not forced to shop, but the experience of eating, living and playing will not be too good.
In Brother Hui's view, this also leads to a common phenomenon: for the same tour group, applicants may come from multiple places, and even the tour price is different. For example, one tour fee is 5,000 yuan, the other is 500 yuan, if there are more tourists who pay 5,000 yuan, then they can form a group alone, and there is less shopping; if there are fewer tourists who pay 5,000 yuan, the host party will arrange these tourists into a low-cost group, but there will be differences in accommodation, meals, shopping, etc.
In fact, the national tourism authorities have been tackling the phenomenon of unreasonable low-cost tours. In 2015, the former China National Tourism Administration issued the "Opinions on Cracking Down on the Organization of "Unreasonable Low-cost Tours". It mentions that the so-called unreasonable low price refers to deviating from the law of value, being lower than the operating cost, soliciting tourists at false prices, inducing consumption with false publicity, and disrupting the market with unfair competition. For example, the price of the travel agency's tourism products is more than 30% lower than the guide price of honest tourism announced by the local tourism department or the tourism industry association; the tour operator entrusts the business to the local agency to perform, and does not pay the fee to the local agency or the fee paid is lower than the reception and service cost; the local agency does not pay the reception and service fee or pays the fee lower than the reception and service cost of the tour group, etc.
Unreasonable low-cost travel has existed for many years, why is it difficult to eradicate?
Many travel bloggers believe that on the one hand, unreasonable low-cost tours involve many tourism subjects, and it is difficult for tourists to protect their rights; on the other hand, even if the rights are successfully protected, the group or local tour operator will be punished, and the cost of violating the law is very low.
In the view of Qi Xiaobo, chief engineer of the Tourism Research and Planning and Design Center of the Institute of Geographic Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, although the administrative departments of culture and tourism at all levels have rectified and governed illegal travel agencies, the gray interest chain of the industry has always existed, and as long as this interest chain is not cut off, the chaos of low-cost travel will not disappear.
According to the analysis of the tourism industry, with the development of the network platform, unreasonable low-cost travel has moved from offline to online, and the promotion mechanism of the platform has broadened the channel for unreasonable low-cost travel in disguise. In addition, some local regulatory departments have not yet woven a dense supervision network, and there is even a problem of lax law enforcement, which is too lenient and too lax, and connived at the existence of illegal business entities.
There are also interviewed experts who analyze that the unreasonable low-cost travel ban is not stopped, because there are always consumers who "do not believe in evil" and feel that they can take advantage of it, and blindly pursue low prices regardless of the cost of tourism products, which has also stimulated this market demand to a certain extent.
The platform is responsible for supervision
Dramatically increase the cost of violating the law
There are so many problems with unreasonable low-cost tours, should they be stopped?
Ma Lihong, a senior partner at Beijing Deheheng Law Firm and deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Committee of the Beijing Lawyers Association, said that there are laws and regulations at the national level to regulate unreasonable low-cost tours.
The Tourism Law stipulates that travel agencies shall not organize tourism activities at unreasonably low prices, deceive tourists, and obtain improper benefits such as kickbacks by arranging shopping or separately paid tours. Travel agencies shall not designate specific shopping places or arrange separately paid tours to organize and receive tourists. However, it is not subject to the agreement of both parties or the request of tourists, and does not affect the itinerary of other tourists.
"The design of tourism routes and products has diversified characteristics, it is difficult to use a 'one-size-fits-all' way to stipulate the minimum group amount, if it is determined to be unreasonably low, it should be punished in accordance with the relevant regulations, otherwise it can still be freely traded in the market. Ma Lihong said.
In the view of Zhang Jing, a teacher at Hulunbuir University, canceling unreasonable low-cost tours or setting a minimum group amount is a feasible plan, but the specific implementation needs to consider many factors.
"By using travel expenses, daily expenses, etc. as standards, the basic quality and service level of tourism products can be ensured. This can not only protect the rights and interests of tourists, but also promote the healthy development of the tourism industry. Of course, the formulation of the minimum group amount needs to fully consider the actual market situation and the affordability of tourism enterprises, so as to avoid too high or too low standards to have a negative impact on the market. Zhang Jing said that at the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen industry self-discipline and market supervision, promote tourism enterprises to operate in good faith, continue to innovate to provide more novel high-quality cultural tourism products and services that enhance the experience of tourists, and enhance tourists' risk awareness and self-protection ability by strengthening consumer education.
Should the platform be held responsible for the promotion of a large number of suspected unreasonable low-priced travel products on local life platforms and short video platforms?
Zhang Jing believes that in terms of regulatory responsibility, local life platforms and short video platforms have regulatory responsibilities for the information they publish. Platforms should establish a sound review mechanism to conduct strict screening and evaluation of low-cost travel products submitted by travel agencies to ensure that their prices are reasonable, their service content is authentic and reliable, and to avoid false publicity and misleading consumers. Platforms should also actively formulate and enforce strict regulations and standards, and punish travel agencies that violate the regulations, including removing products from the shelves, restricting promotion, and even terminating cooperation. At the same time, the platform should also establish a complaint and reporting mechanism to handle and resolve consumer complaints in a timely manner.
"If the platform fails to fulfill its regulatory obligations and causes consumers to suffer losses due to the purchase of low-priced travel products, the platform shall bear the corresponding liability for compensation. Platforms shall increase the extent of regulation, improve review mechanisms, and formulate and enforce strict regulations and standards to safeguard consumer rights and interests and the healthy development of the market. Zhang Jing said.
How can we eradicate the chaos of unreasonable low-price travel?
Qi Xiaobo suggested that the punishment for such violations must be strengthened, and only if the cost of making mistakes is high enough can it have a deterrent effect. For example, once it is found or the complaint is confirmed, the maximum punishment will be carried out, the business will be suspended for rectification, and the problem will be dealt with in a timely manner and the problem will not be overnight.
"The tourism regulatory department can cooperate with the relevant departments to do a good job in the prevention of tourism risks in advance, take multiple measures to do a good job in advance supervision, monitoring, and punishment after the event, through new technologies such as big data, to exclude unreasonable low prices, false tourism information, and screen the main body of tourism business that publishes information, and finds that the enterprise or enterprise that has not obtained a tourism business license or the business is abnormal, promptly investigate and deal with it, and crack down. Let the unscrupulous service organizations have a sense of crisis that 'once speculative violates the rules, they will not be able to survive', and do not give the illegal enterprises and individuals the opportunity to 'change their vests'. Qi Xiaobo said.
Ma Lihong said that unreasonable low-cost tours violate the principle of good faith, undermine market order, and are acts of unfair competition, which should be corrected. It is necessary to remind consumers through various ways not to sign up for activities organized by informal travel agencies at a low price. Low-cost travel is essentially a psychological game, and consumers, as a vulnerable group, are usually losers, even if they do not consume, they will waste valuable time pulling with travel agencies, affecting the mood of travel. Consumers should change the concept of simple price comparison, consume rationally, try to choose regular travel agencies, verify their qualifications, sign formal contracts, read the itinerary carefully, and avoid falling into the trap of low-cost travel.