Hong Kong revokes licences of three travel agents, four guides over forced shopping cases
Hong Kong's Tourism Industry Regulatory Authority revoked licences of three travel agents and four guides for forced shopping in 2026. The regulator plans a specialised guide licence for intangible cultural heritage from Q1 2027.
Hong Kong's Tourism Industry Regulatory Authority has revoked the licences of three travel agents and four tour guides this year over cases involving forced shopping, the city's culture and tourism minister told a legislative committee on 3 November. Related registered shops were also suspended from the register for 30 days.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shiu-pui recalled that more than a decade ago, when she was deputy commissioner for tourism, the industry was plagued by so-called “zero and negative tour fares” and forced shopping, which seriously damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a tourist destination. The government at that time decided to reform the regulatory system, establishing an independent regulator with statutory powers to replace industry self-regulation and to introduce a comprehensive licensing and continuous professional development system for professionalising tour-guiding services.
Legislator Li Ho-man raised concerns about clamping down on illegal tour guides and leaders. Law stressed that the government would not tolerate any illegal labour and would strengthen intelligence sharing with mainland Chinese authorities, the Immigration Department and the police. The regulator said it had conducted 1,460 online inspections since last year, focusing on social media platforms to gather intelligence on suspected unlicensed tour groups, and had referred 31 cases of suspected groups arriving in Hong Kong without a mainland Chinese outbound tour guide qualification to the relevant mainland authorities for investigation.
The regulator plans to introduce a specialised tour guide licence centred on “Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage” in phases from the first quarter of 2027. The first phase will include festival items such as the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. Licence holders will be allowed to provide guided tours within their licenced speciality.
Legislator Sunny Lam Sze-leu asked whether the speciality categories could be broadened to include, for example, historical buildings, to increase employment opportunities for guides. Law noted that the categories were relatively broad, covering Cantonese opera and the Hungry Ghost Festival. She expressed hope that guides would “do their homework” before tours, providing visitors with information on Hong Kong's special attractions and customs.