Travel agencies in Beijing are to be rated according to the quality of service they provide, the capital's tourism authority announced yesterday.

The system, which will be introduced in September, will provide a benchmark for travel services throughout the city. It will be the first of its kind in the country.

Du Jiang, director of the Beijing tourism administration, said at a press conference that his bureau wanted to provide a frame of reference to make it easier for people to differentiate between Beijing's 797 travel agencies.

"More importantly, we want to drive out poorly performing companies so that Beijing's travel market can improve," he said.

Unlike the star system used by hotels, which focuses mostly on facilities, Beijing's travel agencies will be rated according to the quality of the services they provide, with 3A being the lowest grade and 5A the highest.

One of the requirements for a 5A rating is that a firm must be able to provide guide services in at least 10 foreign languages, as well as Mandarin and at least two dialects.

Similarly, to achieve the top rating, an agency must provide a website that allows customers to book and pay for their tours online. Currently, very few of Beijing's travel firms offer this service.

Gu Xiaoyuan, the administration's deputy director, said the system would leave plenty of room for even the biggest and best travel agencies to improve.

For example, almost all travel companies have at some time defaulted on wage payments to tour guides, a practice, which until now has gone unpunished, she said.

"While there are still loopholes in the current laws and regulations, the new ratings will help standardize the quality of travel services. If agents want to be included in the system, they must comply with the rules" Gu said.

Companies can apply to be assessed from July and the first batch of rated firms will be announced in September.

Once issued, ratings are fixed for a period of three years. They can, however, be rescinded if a firm gets regular complaints or is involved in any serious incidents.

The rating system is the latest in a series of measures Beijing has taken to clean up its travel industry.

(China Daily April 13, 2007)