Labor body says steps are needed to repair Hong Kong's reputation

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions has declared its support for establishing an independent travel watchdog and removing regulatory authority from the Travel Industry Council.

The federation was among the first to speak out on suggestions that the government is considering setting up a new authority.

The current discussion is taking place in the context of the latest ugly incident during which a disagreement between a Hong Kong tour guide and a mainland couple led to a scuffle on a street.

The dispute, which erupted as a result of hard-sell coercion of tourists to spend money at designated retail shops, further diminished the city's already battered reputation as a shopping paradise.

"The crux of the problem is that Hong Kong lacks a central body to regulate the (tourism) industry. If we don't review and reform the current regulatory framework, conflict over forced shopping will never end," said Leung Fu-wah, vice president of the federation and an independent director of the Travel Industry Council Thursday.

Ten new regulations, mainly against forced shopping, came under enforcement by the council on Feb 1.

The regulations required basic salaries for tour guides and set a policy that only one tour guide may be assigned to any tour group.

However, Leung revealed Thursday that a joint letter demanding cancellation of the newly enforced regulations was sent by 96 travel agencies recently, saying the new regulations are ineffectual.

"Travel industry was one of the economic pillars of Hong Kong that affect the reputation of the city, thus the government must take its responsibility to regulate this industry," said legislator Ip Wai-ming, who also appealed for the founding of a new travel authority.

Ip added that the industry was self-regulated under supervision of the council, the Tourism Commission and the Tourism Board. The proposed new travel authority would integrate existing bodies and set policies for the industry.

The council's Chairman Michael Wu said Thursday that the 10 new regulations will be continually enforced to avoid further activities that violate regulations.

Meanwhile, Kok Wai-ming, manager of the Good Friendship Travel Agency, whose tour guide Lam Yue-yung was involved in the alleged scuffle with two mainland tourists from Anhui province, denied the widely spread rumor that the agency had paid HK$120,000 compensation fee to the mainland tourists.

He also denied coercion was used to try to force tourists to shop.

The fight between the Hong Kong tour guide and two Anhui visitors, which was described as a "tourism scandal" on the China Central Television earlier, came after the drama of another Hong Kong tour guide Ah Zhen who was captured on video, berating her clients for failure to spend enough money at a jewelry shop they visited in 2010.

China Daily

(HK Edition 02/11/2011 page1)