Yunnan tourism groups draw ire for turning journalists away

Tourism supervisors in Yunnan province said on Tuesday they will look into reports that some travel agencies are preventing journalists from participating in group tours, news website ThePaper.cn reported.

The website quoted an unnamed official from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism saying the department is verifying and investigating the complaints, and added the results will be announced in due time.

Previous reports by various news outlets stated many travel agencies promoting group tours in Yunnan explicitly said they are unable and unwilling to receive journalists as their customers, or told journalists who plan to participate in group tours not to mention their jobs, saying that it was "an unwritten rule in the tourism industry".

The news broke when a news industry worker surnamed Li complained on social media, saying he was advised not to go on a group tour after he purchased it on a short-video platform and asked about potential discounts for press card holders.

In China, some scenic areas waive entrance fees or offer discounts for journalists who hold press cards.

Li said he received a call from the travel agency advising to him to drop out as soon as he asked about the discount policy, and the customer service operator said they "can't take the risk", as such tours "can't be scrutinized".

Shanghai-based Shangyou News on Monday called a travel agency based in Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan, asking about press card discounts and received a reply saying they can't serve journalists and "no agency is willing to serve journalists".

The agency explained except for groups labeled as "amusement-only", most group tours involve stopovers at shopping spots. Although shopping is not compulsory, tour guides would still want tourists to at least buy something. It added not mentioning the journalist's career would help make things work if they insist going on tours.

Another Kunming-based agency told Shangyou many tour guides don't accept journalists or lawyers as guests, claiming they would worry those customers came just to "make some news".

Two agencies in Dali and Xishuangbanna, both hot tourism attractions in Yunnan, told Shangyou that "amusement-only" groups don't restrict journalists, although scenic areas probably won't carry discounts.

In response, a staff member at the promotion office of Yunnan's tourism department said they haven't heard the complaints and journalists can participate as common tourists. They added tourists in regular-priced groups, instead of low-cost ones, shouldn't encounter problems.

A government complaint hotline worker replied to Shangyou there's no such rule, and if agencies have rules restricting customers of certain jobs, they will look into it.

In 2017, a tourism package to Yunnan which restricted workers including tour guides, journalists and lawyers was shuttered after media exposure.

Zhang Weiping, a lawyer at Guangdong Pingwei Law Firm, said those restrictions would be illegal. Based on the Tourism Law and the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, restricting certain groups would violate their right of choice, he said.