Expert calls for better tourist safety awareness

Travel agencies and tour guides should be required to give safety briefings to their customers, a tourism industry expert said this week.

"The tourism industry has developed so fast, coupled with so many uncertain factors, we must improve safety awareness to better protect tourists," said Liu Yuanchen, director of the Tourism Development Institute at Shenyang University in Liaoning province.

The past decade has seen a dramatic boom in China's tourism industry. But people's safety awareness is lagging, Liu said.

He suggested the National Tourism Administration, the industry watchdog, should learn from the airlines and require that safety education be provided to tourists.

"Tour guides should provide safety notices, broadcast a video, show where emergency exits are and how to use the glass-breaking hammer in case of emergency," Liu said.

"These things are vital for overseas travelers who may not understand the language and security notices in the destination country," he said.

"It is easy to deliver five minutes of safety information at the beginning of a tour. But it could save many people's lives," he said.

The cause of the recent Taiwan tour bus accident that killed 26 people is still under investigation, but industry insiders said the absence of safety education may have contributed to the tragedy.

A sample contract issued by the tourism administration and State Administration for Industry and Commerce in 2014 requires tour guides to provide qualified service and "education about local cultural and taboos".

However, there's no clear requirement for safety education - what to do in case of an emergency.

A travel agency manager who asked that her full name not be used told China Daily that the agency did pay attention to safety.

"Both the guide and the bus driver have an obligation to remind tourists of possible dangers," said the woman, surnamed Wang, noting that it's not compulsory. "Most of the time, it is up to the guide," she said.

Shenyang University's Liu noted, moreover, that the qualifications for tour bus drivers had decreased from five years' experience to two years in 2015.

"It seems nobody understands that travel is not just happiness and leisure but also has potential dangers," he said.

Zhang Tongtong contributed to this story.