Proposals for a statutory body to regulate the tourism industry and assume the regulatory functions of the Travel Industry Council were unveiled yesterday.
A new Travel Industry Authority would oversee travel agents, tour guides and tour escorts, Tourism Commissioner Philip Yung Wai-hung said.
The move comes as the government seeks to increase confidence in the regulatory regime.
There have been several high-profile complaints of misconduct by tour guides who tried to coerce mainland visitors into shopping. One scolded the mainland tourists, while another came to blows with a visitor.
The council has been accused of bias in dealing with complaints and punishing offending tour agencies, as its chairman works in the tourism sector and tourism trade associations form the majority of its board.
Yeung said the proposed authority, whose members would be appointed by the government and whose powers would be backed by legislation, would end such concerns.
'A statutory body is independent and credible, so I'm sure the public will have confident in it,' he said.