Snow town must clean up its act

HAILIN in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province is a popular winter tourist destination. However, recent reports of the bad service, even violence, of the local guides and hotel owners have made it a national scandal. Thepaper.cn comments:

The behavior of the tour guides in Hailin is out of hand. One was recently caught on video saying they prepare for nine months to fleece visitors during the remaining three. And on Monday, there were reports of another local tour guide slapping the face of a female tourist. Such words and deeds have seriously damaged the image of the "snow town".

The local tourism authorities have repeatedly promised to strengthen their supervision of the industry. They have already announced the creation of an investigation unit in collaboration with the police, the health department and the disease control department. Yet the latest reports show this has had little effect in improving the local tourism industry.