Industry calls for tougher penalties against forced shopping as licenses revoked

Hong Kong tourism industry figures have called for stronger measures to prevent forced shopping after two travel agencies and a tour guide had their licenses revoked by the Travel Industry Authority.

Sara Leung Fong-yuen, a consultant with the Federation of Hong Kong Trade Unions in Tourism, welcomed the enforcement action but urged authorities to tighten regulations to increase deterrence. Speaking on a radio program, Leung warned that some license holders are not the actual operators of the agencies and could easily set up new companies after being deregistered.

Leung suggested that authorities strictly enforce existing laws by imposing jail terms and offering rewards to whistleblowers to compensate for a shortage of enforcement inspectors. She added that low-cost tour groups remain vulnerable to forced shopping because agencies use low prices to attract clients before using pressure tactics to recover costs and generate profits.

On the same program, lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung, who represents the Election Committee constituency, said the license revocations demonstrate that the regulatory framework is working effectively. Yiu noted that existing laws regulating the sector are already stringent and that improved remuneration for tour guides has reduced incentives to rely on shopping commissions.

Yiu nevertheless urged officials to strengthen training and enforcement while calling on travel agencies to provide guides with explicit written and verbal instructions to prevent illegal practices.

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