Travel agents are steering mainland tourists to shops that sell overpriced goods, in an effort to make up for unrealistic tour prices charged by mainland agencies, according to the Consumer Council.
This has led to a 37 per cent increase in complaints about the practice from mainland tourists. The council received 980 complaints last year, including 788 by members of group tours.
'The mainland tour agencies charge such a low price that the Hong Kong agencies can't afford to host tourists,' said council chief executive Pamela Chan Wong-shui. 'The only thing they can do is to take them to buy more expensive goods so they can earn commissions to offset the cost.'
Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung said his group was aware of the problem. Some agencies charged as little as $1,000 for a four-day, three-night trip from Beijing, covering hotel and airfare, he said. 'We have been informing the national and provincial tourism boards since last August,' he said.
'It's not a healthy trend and we keep reporting the situation every month. Tourism boards should educate the public that there's no way travelling to Hong Kong can be this cheap.'
