What’s the trick behind low-price travel?

Many travel agencies advertise "low-price tours". What's the trick behind these "low-price tours"? How to choose a travel agency when traveling? How to avoid contracts and price traps?

Summer vacation During this period, various travel agencies have launched "lowest price", "ultra-low price" and other signs to attract customers.

Can the service of the low-price card played by travel agencies be guaranteed? What kind of tricks are behind these "low-price tours"? How can citizens avoid these low-price traps? Reporters discussed this conducted a comprehensive investigation.

Case click:

After paying the basic travel quotation, you have to pay additional fees

Recently, Mr. Xu, a citizen, plans to take his family out for fun. After seeing a travel agency quoted a price of 1,180 yuan for a tour to Hainan, Mr. Xu came to the travel agency for consultation and was very excited after hearing the staff's introduction. When everything was ready, Mr. Xu came to the travel agency to sign the contract, but was told that in addition to paying 1,180 yuan, he had to pay nearly 600 yuan in other fees. The travel agency explained that the additional 600 yuan included airport construction fees and tickets for some scenic spots and other necessary expenses, which are not included in the basic quotation.

Mr. Xu was a little puzzled by this and asked: Why is this part of the fee not mentioned in the advertisement? He believes that the merchant's move is suspected of deceiving consumers.

Coincidentally, Mr. Qin, a citizen, and his family of three recently participated in a two-day ecological tour. The price quoted by the travel agency at that time was very cheap: the total cost of the two-day trip for the family of three was only 300 yuan. But when he actually arrived at the foot of the mountain, he discovered that the so-called mountain was just a mound with a slightly complicated terrain, and the waterfall was far from what he had imagined. It only took half an hour to climb the mountain. There were also many small game attractions along the way, such as lucky rings, paintball, and balloon stepping. Mr. Qin’s children complained that it would be better to climb Qianfo Mountain. !

The reporter learned that the situation encountered by Mr. Xu and Mr. Qin is not uncommon. Many citizens are attracted by the low quotations in travel agency advertisements, thinking that the quotations in the advertisements are the entire price. The total cost of travel is unknown, but other fees have to be paid; sometimes after paying the full fee, when I go to the scenic spot to take a look, I find that the scenery is very different from what the travel agency introduced at the time.

The reporter’s interview found that many people who travel have encountered similar experiences to Mr. Xu and Mr. Qin. Travel consumption is really a worry that money can buy.

Extended investigation:

There are many traps behind "low-price travel"

In June this year, Mr. Hu, a citizen of the provincial city, received a police report near the provincial sports center. It happened that two of Mr. Hu's relatives wanted to travel to Hainan. Mr. Hu saw on the flyer that a four-day trip to Hainan cost only 1,400 yuan per person, including round-trip air tickets, food and accommodation, and tickets to four major attractions. Seeing that the price was lower than what was on the market, Mr. Hu called to sign up for a group tour.

But when signing the contract, Mr. Hu was told by the other party that in addition to paying these fees, he must also pay 200 yuan for accident insurance and 200 yuan for miscellaneous expenses. Mr. Hu felt that he had been fooled. Feel.

According to the reporter’s understanding, if the air ticket from Jinan to Hainan is not discounted, the round-trip air ticket alone will cost almost three to four thousand yuan. Joining a tour group, round-trip flight, plus food and accommodation in Hainan , play, the lowest quote is only 1,180 yuan, what is the "mystery" here?

A professional from a travel agency in the provincial capital told reporters that there are so many airlines and flights flying to Hainan now, and the competition is fierce Due to the fierce competition, the discounts offered by airlines to travel agencies have reached around 50% off or even 45% off. Travel agencies generally choose flights that are not very good in the morning and evening periods, so that the prices are cheaper.

It is also understood that most travel agencies in Hainan adopt the same approach as those in Thailand, that is, each tourist only charges a symbolic reception fee of one to two hundred yuan or even does not charge tourists for accommodation. Hotel, catering and group pick-up expenses are made from tourists' shopping and self-financed items, which results in the current ultra-low prices for Hainan tours. But once tourists arrive, the tour guide will take them to local shopping venues.

According to reports, for projects like Hainan Tour, once tourists arrive at the tourist destination, most of them have to be taken to shopping malls to buy pearls and crystals, visit Li Village and Miao Villages, and participate in certain water sports, etc. This has become a Tour guides ask for high rebates, which accordingly takes up tourists' travel time, and the tour time and projects are naturally reduced. In addition, because tourists are not familiar with scenic routes, travel agencies omit part of the travel content; some travel agencies report scenic spots through blurry information. In fact, many scenic spots are just passing by, and tourists have no time to visit at all.

What’s more, some tourists signed up for international travel routes, obviously going for the signboards of some major travel agencies. Unexpectedly, before departure, the travel agencies suddenly changed their minds and said that the original routes they signed up for were not valid. The quota was not enough, so I had to join a group trip with another travel agency, and the latter's qualifications were often not as good as the original big agency. Tourists don't know, so they can only accept it. In fact, there are often "little ninety-nine" travel agencies here - sometimes it's not that the agency has no routes, but that it "sells" tourists to another small travel agency in order to get more money. Big profits.

In the interview, an industry insider said that as competition in the tourism industry becomes increasingly fierce, travel agencies have lowered their quotations. The prices of some out-of-town and overseas travel routes are shockingly low, and some quotations are even lower than the cost. In order to make up for the losses, travel agencies will charge part of the fees that should be included in the quotation from customers. This practice has gradually become a "traditional rule". According to a tour guide who has been engaged in tourism for many years, within the tour guide circle, tour groups are divided into "fat groups" and "thin groups." For example, some customers love shopping, which is a "fat group." However, as people's awareness of rights protection increases, Improvement, those tourists who always have to act according to the contract have become "thin groups".

Reminder from the Consumers Association:

Reasonable consumption is the key to avoid being deceived

According to relevant personnel from the Jinan Consumers Association, most travel disputes focus on misleading advertising and safety issues. There are several aspects such as no guarantee, contract breach, and arbitrary group transfer.

According to analysis by relevant people from the Consumers Association, the main reason why these problems occur in tourism consumption is that some travel agencies do not use standardized travel contracts, and their settings are unscientific and unreasonable. They are unreasonably formulated by travel agencies themselves. For fair format contracts, it is difficult for consumers to predict the traps in the contract when signing the contract; the service quality of travel agencies is uneven, and some travel agencies have irregular business practices; the self-protection awareness of tourism consumers and the ability to safeguard their rights according to law need to be further improved, etc.

According to relevant sources from the Consumers Association, the reason why some citizens fall into such a trap is because their consumption is not rational enough. When it comes to traveling, citizens should have the concept of “you get what you pay for” and consume rationally. Citizens should not sign agreements with some unbranded "triad agencies" just because the prices are cheap. They must contact travel agencies with legal person status; secondly, they must clearly understand the attractions and fees in the itinerary, and understand what tourism items are included in the tour fee. According to regulations, after the travel itinerary begins, tourists can refuse to pay any expenses that exceed the itinerary. If the quality of tourism services is reduced as a result, they can complain directly to the tourism authorities; at some additional tourist shopping spots, tourists must use reason to overcome desires. , don’t be cheap on things you don’t need, don’t follow the crowd, and don’t be tempted by the recommendations of some tour guides that “you can’t find this store after passing this village.”

The Consumers Association also reminds consumers to choose a reputable travel agency when traveling. Regular travel agencies have a business license issued by the industrial and commercial department and a business license issued by the tourism department. Secondly, we must break out of the vicious circle of only seeking low prices and disregarding service quality. You cannot simply measure the quality of services provided by a travel agency by price, you must also look clearly at the travel items included in the price. In addition, when signing a contract with a travel agency, many details involved, such as travel schedule, transportation and standards, accommodation, meals, etc., must be stated rigorously to protect your legitimate rights and interests.

Lawyer’s statement:

Tourism consumption must be “six clear”

The reporter found during the interview that although consumers now pay more and more attention to travel agencies Sign a contract, but there are many traps in the contract: some travel contracts include word games, unfair format clauses, reducing or exempting the operator from obligations, unclear verbal contracts, unclear responsibilities, and sightseeing tours turning into "shopping tours" ", "Illegal travel", etc. Industry insiders believe that many infringement cases during travel itineraries can be avoided as long as tourists handle them properly.

In view of the various traps in tourism, lawyer Zhou Changpeng of Shandong Haocai Law Firm believes that in order to avoid these traps, consumers must achieve "six things clearly":

On the information provided by travel agencies Be clear about routes and prices. Break down the quotation, clarify the charges and corresponding standards, agree on each item, and do not be fooled by cheap advertising. Second, be clear about travel time and means of transportation. Third, the level and standards of food, accommodation and travel must be clear. Fourth, be clear about the quality and price of goods when traveling and shopping. Shop carefully, distinguish authenticity, compare shopping, and keep invoices. Fifth, you must be clear about what kind of travel agency to choose and what kind of travel contract to sign, and be sure to confirm all oral commitments in writing. Sixth, you must be clear about how to protect your rights according to the law when disputes arise. If your rights are infringed, you should promptly file a complaint with the industry authority.