China releases new travel regulations

China released its long-awaited new regulations for the travel industry to protect the rights of Chinese travellers against ���shopping tours��� and ensuring their safety. Among the 36 points announced, key changes relate to complete transparency prior to purchase and lasting through the tour.

New rules give special attention to the Chinese travel industry���s heavily commissioned shopping tours, and below-cost tours. The new rules stipulate that no tour can be sold below cost and travellers cannot be forced to go shopping or buy add-ons.

This is good news for tour operators investing in the Chinese travel market in recent years. The National Bureau of Statistics of China says that in 2008 over 45.8 million of Chinese tourists travelled abroad, an 11.9% increase since 2007. The World Tourism Organisation predicts it is set to reach 100 million per year by 2020.