Hotels must enhance services for foreign guests

On the central government's website, some foreign tourists have left feedback saying some hotels refused them entry, either because they were not qualified to accept foreign guests or did "not know how to enter the information into the system". In response, relevant departments jointly responded saying they are charting out how to guide the hotel industry to provide better services to overseas guests.

According to the Exit and Entry Administration Law, domestic hotels that accommodate foreign citizens must forward the registration information to the local police. Earlier, when the registration used to be done manually, a few designated hotels were empowered to accept overseas guests, as they had the facility to immediately pass on the information to the police. However, in the internet era, information on overseas guests can be shared in real time, regardless of hotel, so most regions and cities in China have done away with the restrictions, allowing every hotel to invite overseas guests.

However, some hotels still refrain from doing business with overseas guests out of fear of making mistakes — some were reportedly punished for getting the spelling of foreigners' names or passport numbers wrong, or for not passing on the information to the public security bureau on time.

To solve that problem, apart from doing away with foreign-related qualifications, it is equally important to provide hotels with more guidance.

The Ministry of Commerce has instructed the China Hospitality Association to strengthen legal and regulatory understanding and develop talent so that more hotels can handle overseas guests and overcome the fear of making mistakes.

According to data from the National Immigration Administration, in the first quarter, a total of 466,000 visa documents were issued to foreigners, with a year-on-year increase of 118.8 percent.

-THEPAPER.CN