Stricter regulations needed to rein in travel agencies

Editor's note: With the rapid development of tourism in China, big changes have taken place in the tourism sector. China needs to take effective measures to help boost tourism development, writes a veteran journalist with China Daily.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a new document in mid-April, stressing that stricter measures will be taken to further regulate China's tourism industry. While showing the central authority's determination to combat malpractice, the document also indicates that the domestic tourism market is becoming more disorderly.

China has for years been the largest tourism market and the biggest source of outbound tourists in the world. This year, domestic person trips are expected to exceed 4.5 billion, an increase of more than 10 percent over 2019 during the pre-COVID-19 period.