Enforcement by local authorities in host countries, not more guidelines for tour companies, was needed to prevent fatal crashes, operators said yesterday.
Their comments came after news reports blamed speeding for the crash that killed 14 Hong Kong tourists in Egypt.
Speaking on an RTHK programme yesterday, Jetour Holiday operations director Thomas Chau Wing-keung said he believed tour escorts aboard the coach were 'enforcing' their guidelines on traffic safety before the vehicle crashed.
'There are company guidelines which are quite restrictive on what can and cannot be done. We would not allow anything affecting tourists' safety to happen. I believe our tour escorts were enforcing these rules,' Mr Chau said.
The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong issues guidelines and rules for tour escorts, which cover ethics, adherence to the itinerary, high safety awareness and food and traffic safety.
Candy Cher Yuk-yee, head of operations at S.K.Y. Travel, which has three tours in Egypt at present, said guidelines issued to frontline staff and drivers were adequate, but the most crucial was the enforcement of traffic rules by the local authority.
