Onus should be on watchdog

While policymakers around the world compete with each other to woo Chinese tourists, a steady source of growth for local economies, it is hard to believe that China's top tourism watchdog warned on Sunday that tourists could be punished for signing contracts with travel agencies that offer incredibly cheap tour packages.

In a statement to tighten management over domestic travel agencies, the National Tourism Administration urged tourists to resist the temptation of the "too-good-to-be-true" cheap trips offered by some travel agencies and not to sign such contracts.

It has become a deep-rooted problem plaguing the domestic tourism market that some travel agencies have routinely enticed tourists with low prices and then squeezed profits from them by forcing them to buy exorbitantly-priced goods at designated shops.