Fees paid to the Travel Industry Council by its members to process and document their tour operations will help fund tourist police who will conduct undercover investigations to ensure tourists are not cheated.
The council is charging tour operators HK$20 for each itinerary filed with the industry watchdog. A detailed itinerary must be distributed to members of mainland tour groups, and a copy is filed with the council.
'As the [council] is providing these monitoring services, we need to pay for them with fees like the HK$20 handling fee,' said Paul Leung Yiu-lam, president of the Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association.
Undercover tourist police will join mainland tour groups in Hong Kong to monitor the actions of tour guides and shops.
Meanwhile, the council imposed tough new measures on member tour operators and shops yesterday in a bid to restore visitor confidence following a spate of shopping scams.
The move comes as Hong Kong prepares for a busy summer season. Mainland tourists are expected to flock to the city to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the handover.