Furor over tourist scams humiliates Hainan

(Ecns.cn) – Hainan, a tropical island province off the coast of southern China, has come under scrutiny again following nationwide criticism for price gouging and tourist fraud in Sanya, a popular resort destination, during this year's week-long Spring Festival holiday.

A family of three was allegedly charged 4,000 yuan (US$635) for three ordinary dishes at a street restaurant in Sanya, while a man at the next table was forced to pay more than 6,000 yuan (US$952) for a 5.5-kilogram fish after the owner had killed and served it, even though the customer hadn't ordered it. Thousands of netizens claimed that they had also had similar experiences in Hainan, according to China Daily.

In a report submitted by the Hainan Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee at the end of last year, many problems were noted in the development of the province's tourist industry, including a lack of taxis, large numbers of unscrupulous merchants, a bubbling property market and illegally-built high-rises.

Rip-off merchants

In recent years, the practice of "fleecing" customers has become common in Hainan. Tourists have frequently complained of seafood products that skimp on weight, for example, or gift boxes of fruit which contain cement to make them seem heavier.

Statistics show that more than 340,000 tourists rushed into Sanya during the past week-long holiday and spent 3.32 billion yuan (US$527 billion) there, according to Beijing News. The coastal city only has 685,000 permanent residents.

Wang Chenlong, a 27-year-old backpacker who traveled to Hainan a week ago, said he chose the tropical island to enjoy tranquility and sunshine at the beach, and made an effort to avoid packaged tours.

However, after leaving Hainan, Wang sent a text message to a friend describing his vacation as a continuous string of disappointments.

Wang complained that he had been ripped off numerous times by everyone from fruit merchants to seafood sellers, from restaurants to hotels. Instead of indulging in well-crafted meals interspersed with snacks and seasonal fruit, Wang had been overwhelmed by costly accommodation and overpriced food.

For example, a coconut cost about 8 yuan (US$1.3) in a supermarket in Hainan, which is similar to the price in Beijing, and a normal standard room cost over 1,000 yuan (US$158.7) for a night in Sanya. According to Wang, it was only 330 yuan (US$52.4) the year before last.

Unregistered cabs

Even as over 340,000 tourists descended on Sanya during the holiday, the city only had about 2,000 taxis to serve them. Under such conditions, unregistered cabs could be seen everywhere, and often dominated the transport business.

Walking out of Sanya Phoenix Airport, tourists were warmly welcomed and surrounded by local people who smiled and asked a simple question: "Do you need a taxi?" Visitors were then taken to cabs without licensed meters.

According to Beijing News, the drivers of these unregistered cabs usually "sail with the wind," a euphemism for charging fares according their appearance and clothing. If a tourist looks honest and easy to bully, drivers will ask a high price, and such passengers have nowhere to go to complain.

Meanwhile, Sanya's downtown area suffered from a shortage of taxis, because the number of legal cabs was insufficient to satisfy demand.

Illegal high-rises

After Hainan was earmarked as a world-class tourist island in 2010, its property market began to surge, and many local developers have since opted to build illegal high-rises to make larger profits from the bubble.

In one case, an illegal 17-story building which was visibly defective was subsequently demolished by the local government.

Many businessmen have rushed to Hainan to operate hotels after hearing that accommodation fees are spiking. Some make use of profits from the illegal buildings to start other businesses.

Official response

Many complain that Hainan Province should have made full use of this opportunity to develop in a healthier way. Nevertheless, Sanya's rapid slide in the rankings and the growing number of disappointed tourists in the past two years show that local authorities need to take steps to provide better service.

Wang Jiansheng, chairman of the Hainan Tourism Research Board, said local authorities should toughen regulations and mete out more severe penalties to those who take advantage of tourists, according to Xinhua.

Wu Kunxiong, deputy director of the Hainan Tourism Commission, admitted that the province still receives many complaints from tourists, as prices regularly skyrocket during the holiday season, particularly in Sanya. He said the problems can be attributed to "inadequate facilities," but agreed that the island's tourism industry needs to be reformed.