Tourism authorities work to stop hotel operators from unfairly 'cashing in' on expo

Tourism authorities in Shanghai have launched a hotel price monitoring mechanism to prevent local hotel operators from unfairly cashing in on the China International Import Expo, officials said on Monday.

The city has 1,711 hotels with at least 80 rooms each as well as chain hotels, which have 256,607 rooms in total and about 411,000 beds, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administration.

Authorities are researching temporary price intervention measures and will strengthen real-time monitoring and response systems on hotel prices and booking rates, administration officials said.

The administration said it would work with business and market authorities to control hotel prices and also supervise online booking platforms such as Ctrip.

In addition, the administration has coordinated with its counterpart in Suzhou to include 49 hotels with more than 8,800 rooms in areas like Wujiang, Taicang and Kunshan as backup accommodation sources for the expo.

Local tourism authorities are upgrading 22 tourist service centers, among which 10 in areas including the Bund, Shiliupu, and Jing'an Temple have already been completed in preparation for the event. Work on the remaining 12 at city airports and railway stations is also underway.

The administration is also working on the bilingual version of the app on Shanghai's tourism resources, and conducting training with tourism management staff and service personnel relating to foreign language communication, safety management, expo knowledge and etiquette.

Shanghai vice mayor Chen Qun said that the event will be a gateway to promote Shanghai's image to the world and "pull up" the tourism industry in the long run.

"We should not only focus on the service inside hotels, but also outside," he said.

He added that hotels should provide shuttle buses or book taxis for guests, especially for foreign visitors, or tell them the route to the event.