The Tourism Bureau said yesterday that it is considering reducing the shopping stops of Chinese tour groups traveling in Taiwan to curb the illegal practice of “zero-fee” tour groups.
Travelers signing up for a “zero-fee” tour group need not pay any fee before flying to Taiwan, with the accommodations and transportation being arranged entirely by the travel agency. To cover their costs, travel agencies are paid commission by the stores that the tourists visit.
The problem of “zero-fee” tour groups was characterized as “very serious” by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) in his meeting with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) on Sunday.
Zhang said that many Chinese tourists were found to have purchased jewelry or other luxury items in Taiwan at “unreasonably high” prices, adding that Taiwan and China need to address the problem through cross-strait negotiations.
The Chinese-language United Daily News published a report yesterday on the phenomenon in which Taiwanese travel agencies have to pay NT$200 to NT$300 per Chinese tourist to Chinese travel agencies before they can arrange tours for Chinese groups.
In response, the Tourism Bureau said that “zero-fee” tour groups exist in every travel destination, not just in Taiwan. However, the bureau said it is considering reducing the number of the shopping stops for Chinese tour groups traveling in Taiwan, such as canceling one stop to stores that sell luxury goods.
The bureau said the measure would make it impossible for travel agencies to make up for the lack of group fees by receiving commission from retailers. Travel agencies violating the regulation by adding additional shopping stops would be banned from handling Chinese tour groups for a year, the bureau said.
“We have asked Taiwan’s Travel Agent Association, as well as travel agencies, to help us gather information in China on prices of tours to Taiwan offered to Chinese tourists by Chinese travel agencies, as well as the prices Taiwanese travel agencies quote Chinese travel agents,” the bureau said. “Should we see price differences, we will report this illegal price-cutting strategy to the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, as well as the Association for Tourism Exchange across the Taiwan Straits — two quasi-official agencies representing Taiwan and China respectively — and that the practice would make it impossible to provide Chinese tourists access to quality tours. China should regulate its own travel agents, whereas Taiwan can reinforce the supervision of its travel agencies and tour guides.”
Meanwhile, the bureau said it would help provide information on tour groups so that the tax agencies can check the tax status of the stores frequented by tourists.
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