On 29 September 2023 the General Office of the State Council issued measures to unlock tourism consumption and promote high-quality development, addressing quality supply, demand, the consumption environment and inbound travel facilitation.
The policy expands demand and supply; it does not relax regulation. For travel agencies, online platforms, attractions and accommodation, the compliance baseline remains clear.
Agencies and online platforms
Travel agency business is licensed. Without a travel agency licence, an operator may not engage in agency business. Where an online platform provides transaction services for agencies, it must verify qualifications and display licence information prominently.
Platform responsibility is not a one-time check. Under e-commerce and online travel rules, platforms need onboarding review, ongoing verification, complaint handling and handling of unlawful information. On unreasonably low-priced tours, forced shopping and false advertising, a platform cannot fully distance itself as merely a venue.
Prepaid consumption
Travel products often involve prepayments, deposits, packages and annual cards. The risk lies in funds held and performance capacity. Companies should avoid excessively long or large prepaid products, and clarify refund rules, transfer conditions and treatment on change of operator.
Contracts should state refund ratios and timelines for itinerary changes, force majeure, visa refusal and flight cancellation. Clauses such as “final interpretation rests with the merchant” rarely withstand legitimate consumer claims.
Advertising and price
Travel advertising readily uses “lowest price”, “zero tour fee” or “pure play, no shopping” in absolute or misleading terms. Advertising law restricts absolutes, and price claims must be true and accurate, without bait pricing followed by surcharges or forced consumption.
Where platforms use ranking, ratings or recommendations involving paid placement, commercial promotion should be identified. Presenting advertising as organic recommendation may breach advertising rules and constitute unfair competition.
Inbound facilitation
The measures address visas, payments, communications and attraction booking for inbound visitors. Companies serving inbound tourists should consider payment methods, language services, accommodation registration and personal information processing. When collecting passport and visa data, state purpose, scope and retention, and avoid excessive collection.
For agency licensing and business scope, see our business licensing service; for platform and supplier contracts, see commercial contracts; for visitor data compliance, see data compliance.
This article is based on the measures issued by the General Office of the State Council on 29 September 2023. It is for reference only and does not constitute legal advice.