China to ban poorly-behaved tourists from traveling

Two Chinese tourists make a scene on an Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Nanjing last November. [File photo from Sina Weibo]

Chinese tourists blacklisted by the country's tourism authority for behaving poorly while travelling are likely to be banned from travelling abroad as part of the country's efforts to promote civilized tourism.

In a draft industry standard issued by the China National Tourism Administration (NTA), the behavior of travel agencies and tourists will be placed under stricter standards. For example, heavier punishments will be given to travel agencies which force tourists to make purchases, while tourists who are blacklisted will be banned from traveling for a period of time.

China started to blacklist poorly-behaved tourists in November last year. A total of 20 tourists have been placed on the blacklist out of 19 uncivilized incidents. In one case, a plane flying from Bangkok to Nanjing had to return halfway following a quarrel between the flight attendants and two Chinese tourists. In another case, a man tried to stop a plane from taking off by forcing open the plane's emergency hatch.

To prevent these kinds of incidents, the draft industry standard also plans to publicize the people on the blacklist and their uncivilized behavior. Experts say they believe the new industry standard will act as a strong coercive force.

The details of the draft industry standard will be publicized by the end of August in a move to solicit public opinion.