Chinese tourists are charged at random by travel agencies, and experts are afraid of hurting the tourism industry. (AP Photo)
Chinese tourists to Kunzhou have been deceived of tens of thousands of Australian dollars in ticket charges by unscrupulous tour guides. The industry is worried that the chaos may endanger the development of local tourism.
Government officials in Kunzhou have publicly criticized the illegal charging of "ticket fees" for overseas visitors to visit Gold Coast public beaches and parks, the Daily Mail reported. Experts also warned that China, Australia's largest source of tourists, would be hit hard if things were not stopped before things got out of control.
According to the Messenger Post, although the hotel where visitors are staying is usually within walking distance of the tourist point, the tourist attractions are free and open. But cunning tourist clubs often set up "transportation fees" or "tour guides" and other names illegally collect tourists' fees.
The most common places of charge are the beaches of the Gold Coast, where many foreign tourists pay the "ticket cost" of these free public attractions without the knowledge.
One local practitioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the journalist that such charges were out of control. He said the industry has made it a joke that they can easily escape punishment, but no one has ever come forward to expose them.
Queensland Tourism Director Jones (Kate Jones) has publicly denounced the practice, saying it would "stigmatize" the local tourism industry and urging victims of such scams or insider to report to the police.
Geschwinde (Daniel Gschwind), head of (Queensland Tourism Industry Council), the state tourism commission, expressed similar concerns, saying tourism today would never allow such wrongdoing to occur. He said such practices not only deceived tourists, but would damage the reputation of the state's tourism industry if they complained to relatives and friends about their unfortunate experiences in the state after some of the cheated foreign tourists returned home.
It is understood that China has replaced New Zealand as Kunzhou's largest source of tourists. Kunzhou receives more than five hundred thousand Chinese tourists a year, and economic generates about A $1.4 billion.