NDRC exposes bad tourist agent tricks

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) exposed a series of bad practices by tourist firms on Sunday, just two days before the seven-day holidays start on October 1.

Since the NDRC began investigating pricing in China's tourism market earlier this year, 39 companies in Yunnan and Hainan provinces have been fined a total of 18 million yuan ($2.94 million), according to a report released online by the NDRC on Sunday.

The companies were found to have cheated customers by raising prices, faking discounts, signing monopoly agreements and forcing consumers to purchase products during trips, some of which were sold at 10 or even 100 times their normal cost. According to the report, some travel agencies have changed their practices and returned prices to an appropriate market level after being caught and punished. The NDRC reminded tourists to call their hot line on 12358 to lodge a complaint if they were cheated.

Li Xiaoliang, director of the press department at the China National Tourism Administration, told the Global Times Sunday that they have launched a nationwide check on the tourism market from September 22 to October 7, which covers the entire mid-autumn festival and national holiday period.

"We sent notices to local tourist authorities, especially at the most popular tourism destinations, to remind them to pay more attention, " Li said.

The number of tourists during the national holidays will hit 430 million, the Ministry of Public Security announced Saturday.