LCQ4: Regulation and advancement of tourist market
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Following is a concern by the Hon Vivian Kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (October 7):
Concern:
Considering that the start of this year, the Travel Industry Authority (TIA) has actually taken a variety of enforcement and disciplinary actions in regard of cases in which members of incoming trip groups were persuaded to go shopping, and has actually enforced serious charges on the tour guide, take a trip representatives and appropriate signed up stores associated with the breaches, consisting of withdrawing the licences of the travel representatives and tour guide worried, in addition to suspending the registration of the stores worried. In this connection, will the Government notify this Council:
(1) whether it understands the variety of examinations carried out by the TIA in regard of thought coerced shopping considering that beginning of its major operation in September 2022; the charges troubled the licence holders or signed up stores worried (consisting of the cancellation or suspension of licences/registration), and the variety of cases in which extra conditions were enforced;
(2) whether the TIA has, in regards to resolving the issues at source and enhancing the system, checked out, evaluated and studied the long-lasting options to malpractices such as coerced shopping;
(3) apart from coerced shopping, of the significant classifications of non-compliances in relation to practices in the tourist market that the TIA has actually dealt with up until now (such as treking trips led by unlicensed regional or cross-boundary tour guide), and the particular varieties of such non-compliance cases;
(4) whether the TIA will reinforce info exchange and partnership with departments such as the Police, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Immigration Department and the Customs and Excise Department, and step up joint enforcement actions at traveler hotspots, nation parks, business retail locations and so on, so regarding constantly fight non-compliant practices in the tourist market (consisting of unlicensed tour guide);
(5) whether the TIA has actually taken joint or collective actions with the appropriate police departments in the Mainland given that September 2022 to fight breaches of the guidelines and guidelines worrying the tourist market in the 2 locations;
(6) apart from enhancing policy, how the TIA will promote the healthy advancement of the market and improve the expert requirements of professionals (consisting of the most recent development of the specialised tour guide licensing program just recently released), so regarding satisfy the growing need of the visitors to Hong Kong for extensive travel and varied experiences with regional qualities; and
(7) as the TIA has introduced the Tourist Guides and Tour Escorts Commendation Scheme to identify impressive specialists in the market, whether the TIA will think about broadening and regularising the Scheme to promote the premium advancement of the tourist market and display the expert and favorable picture of the tourist market in Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
The tourist market is a significant market driving Hong Kong’s financial development and developing job opportunity, which likewise functions as a crucial platform for informing excellent stories of Hong Kong. The Government has actually the whole time been devoted to safeguarding the genuine rights and interests of visitors to Hong Kong, embracing a “zero-tolerance” method towards persuaded shopping, and rigorously combating illegal practices that harm Hong Kong’s tourist credibility, with a view to combining Hong Kong’s position as a premier first-rate tourist location.
In assessment with the Security Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and the Travel Industry Authority (TIA), the reply to the concern raised by the Hon Vivian Kong is as follows:
(1) and (2) Under the Travel Industry Ordinance (the Ordinance), certified travel representatives and certified tour guide should adhere to the conditions troubled their licences, otherwise they devote an offense. A travel representative is accountable on conviction to an optimum fine of $100,000 and jail time for 2 years, and a tour guide is responsible on conviction to an optimum fine of $50,000 and jail time for one year. The Travel Industry (General) Regulation specifies that certified travel representatives and certified tour guide should take all affordable actions to protect the security and interests of any individual of a trip group, and make sure that no individual of the trip group goes through coerced shopping, whether through using harassment, browbeating or excessive impact.
Considering that entering complete operation, the TIA has actually carried out over 10 000 examinations concentrating on signed up stores getting visitors for shopping, balancing about 3 300 evaluations each year, and has actually acted on 8 cases of supposed coerced shopping. Amongst these, the licences of 3 travel representatives and 4 tour guide were withdrawed for contravening the appropriate requirements. The TIA has actually likewise referred the pertinent cases to the Department of Justice to think about additional prosecution. In addition, a signed up store taking part in the Administrative Scheme for Registered Shops (the Administrative Scheme) had its registration suspended by the TIA for 30 days for stopping working to strive to avoid coerced shopping including visitors, breaching its endeavor under the Administrative Scheme. The management and frontline personnel of the store were likewise needed to go through extra training supplied by the TIA. The TIA will continue to boost training for personnel of other signed up stores to continually combine their understanding of the regulative requirements.
Through the Joint Regulatory Alliance of the Tourism Market of 9 +2 Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the TIA exchanges intelligence with the Mainland to collaborate efforts in combating cross-boundary non-compliant acts such as unreasonably low-cost trips and prohibited tour guide, thus minimizing the danger of coerced shopping at source. Because the start of this year, the TIA has actually alerted the pertinent Mainland authorities of over 15 online ads including unreasonably inexpensive trips, which were consequently eliminated. Current evaluations likewise reveal that the variety of such ads has actually reduced.
(3) to (5) Apart from the abovementioned cases of supposed coerced shopping, the presumed non-compliant acts managed by the TIA because entering into complete operation, and the variety of associated examination cases, are arranged listed below:
The TIA has actually developed a routine interaction and partnership system with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), and other pertinent federal government departments. Joint evaluations, enforcement actions, along with marketing and instructional activities are carried out at traveler hotspots, border control points, signed up stores getting incoming trip groups, and nation parks as needed.
Over the previous couple of months, the TIA and the ImmD have actually successively carried out joint enforcement actions at traveler hotspots such as the East Dam of High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung, Tsim Sha Tsui, the West Kowloon Cultural District and Central to fight prohibited engagement in tour guide work and other associated prohibited acts. Both celebrations have actually likewise stepped up joint examinations in addition to advertising and academic work throughout the Mainland Golden Week vacations and peak visitor durations, advising visitors not to patronise prohibited tour guide or trip escorts. The TIA likewise preserves close cooperation with the C&ED, consisting of performing joint examinations and advertising and academic activities at numerous traveler and shopping hotspots prior to the Mainland Golden Week vacations, to advise the trade to run compliantly and secure the customer rights of visitors.
The TIA likewise exchanges intelligence and follows up with the AFCD on cases including trip groups and presumed unlicensed tour guide around nation parks and the Geopark. The TIA teams up with the Transport Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Department of Health, and the Airport Authority Hong Kong on matters relating to traffic, ecological health, and visitor defense. The TIA likewise exchanges info with the HKPF relating to trip group activities, crowd control, and traffic order, and collaborates traffic plans at destinations, dining establishments, and border control points as needed to reduce the effect on locals and traffic.
In regards to cross-boundary co-operation, apart from the operate in combating unreasonably inexpensive trips, the TIA has actually developed an intelligence exchange and case recommendation system with pertinent Mainland authorities. If the TIA finds hints including Mainland trip organising representatives, online platforms, or other believed non-compliant activities, it will inform the Mainland authorities in charge under the system for follow-up actions in accordance with the law. To date, the TIA has actually reported 31 presumed non-compliant cases to the pertinent Mainland authorities. The TIA will likewise act on thought non-compliant cases including Hong Kong certified travel representatives, tour guide or trip escorts, and Mainland incoming trip groups as referred by the Mainland authorities.
(6) and (7) The TIA promotes the advancement of the market on different fronts, consisting of:
(i) The training courses and licensing assessments for tour guide and trip escorts are now taught and examined in accordance with Qualifications Framework Level 3 (QF Level 3). The TIA has actually likewise broadened the scope of identified continuing expert advancement activities to cover locations such as clever tourist and language efficiency, supporting professionals in continually updating their service requirements.
(ii) The TIA introduced the specialised tour guide licensing program in 2026, under which specialised tour guide (STG) licences are released for private expert locations to bring in individuals with appropriate understanding to sign up with the market and motivate the trade to support tour guide skills with expert understanding. The STG licences released up until now consist of the Geopark tour guide licence and the reception services tour guide licence. The TIA prepares to broaden the program to cover other fields, such as in‑depth trips concentrating on history and culture by the end of 2027 to additional boost the supply of expert tour guide.
(iii) To draw in more youths to sign up with the tourist market, the TIA actively promotes expert certification expression with tertiary organizations. Following the acknowledgment of 2 full-time programs of the Vocational Training Council, the TIA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Education University of Hong Kong in September 2026 to acknowledge its pertinent courses as defined training courses for tour guide and trip escorts, enabling trainees who have actually finished the appropriate courses to straight sit for the appropriate licensing assessment to acquire industry-recognised expert credentials.
(iv) To identify the contributions of expert tour guide and trip escorts to Hong Kong’s tourist market, and to motivate the trade to constantly boost service quality, the TIA held the very first Tourist Guide and Tour Escort Recognition Scheme in March 2026, choosing 6 Outstanding Tourist Guides and 6 Outstanding Tour Escorts to applaud outstanding professionals. The TIA prepares to arrange the 2nd Recognition Scheme next year.
Keep in mind 1: These cases included conflict of the requirements set out in the Directives for Licensees which TIA promoted pursuant to the power gave by area 152( 2 )(k) of the Ordinance, for instances: stopping working to provide within the necessary time frame an invoice with a levy stamp, altering travel plan without authorization, and stopping working to set out the defined details in the composed travel plans of Mainland incoming trip groups.