Hong Kong to improve tourism with new hotel rule  

黄金周将近 香港旅行社接内地团需交住宿证明

9日，香港特区旅游业议会表示，将会在“五一黄金周”前推出新指引，旅行团由内地来港前2天内，需向议会提交“住宿安排确认书”，确认有酒店房间接待旅客。

Hong Kong (CNS) -- Mainland tour groups should submit "confirmations of accommodation arrangement" for their tourists to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong two days before they lead travelers to Hong Kong, according to a new regulation released by the council on Tuesday.

The regulation comes after mainland tourists were forced to sleep on the bus during their visit to Hong Kong over the Spring Festival holiday earlier this year.

The mishandling by 3A Holidays, a Hong Kong tour company, brought humiliation to Hong Kong's tourism industry as a whole.

The regulation was set up to ensure there are hotel rooms available for tourists from the mainland when they arrive in Hong Kong.

The permanent new regulation will become effective on April 29, said Hu Zhaoying, chairman of the Travel Industry Council.

The new rule is expected to help improve the service quality of the tourism industry in Hong Kong, said Li Hancheng, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners Association.