Wang Zhenghua, general manager of Shanghai Chunqiu Travel Agency, said that the agency will pay higher salaries to tour guides and drivers to curb the temptation to take unwitting tourists to shops whose owners offer high commissions in return.

If tourists want to go shopping on their own, tour guides should recommend local shops with high-quality, reasonably priced goods, Wang said.

If a van or bus owned by the agency is spotted in the parking lot of any shop known for offering commissions, the tour guide and driver on duty will be punished, he said.

It has been a practice of some tour guides in China to skip scheduled tour highlights in order to take tour groups to the "commission shops." Numerous complaints from tourists have brought shame to some Chinese travel agencies.

With China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the influx of foreign travel agencies will greatly challenge their Chinese counterparts. Therefore, Wang said, local tourism agencies should work fast to improve their service quality and revamp their image.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2001)