Is it suspected of discrimination that some travel agencies charge the elderly an age surcharge?

According to the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly in China, tourism companies should not only charge the elderly an "age surcharge", but also give them appropriate discounts. If travel companies are allowed to charge "age surcharge" for the elderly during their travel, the atmosphere of respecting the elderly in society may be eroded.

As the Chung Yeung Festival is approaching, China Consumers Association issued a consumer warning on the 24th to remind the elderly consumers of the precautions in purchasing health food, investing in wealth management, traveling and providing for the aged at home. In particular, it is pointed out that the "age surcharge" charged by some travel agencies for the elderly is explicitly prohibited by the state, and the elderly can report to the tourism authorities at the first time, retain relevant evidence and defend their rights in time.

Previously, some tour groups going to Thailand, Singapore and Australia charged tourists over 70 with surcharges ranging from 300 yuan to 1.200 yuan. Due to the different cost and accounting methods, it has been an unwritten rule in the industry for many years to charge "age surcharge" for the elderly and group tours. From the perspective of travel companies, it seems reasonable for travel companies to charge "age surcharge" to the elderly. Because the elderly travel abroad, due to physical conditions and other reasons, the risks are relatively high, and the elderly are relatively inconvenient to move, which may bring some troubles to travel agencies. In addition, most elderly people are conservative in consumption, which may affect the income of travel agencies such as commissions. Therefore, it is reasonable for travel companies to charge "age surcharge" to the elderly, and it is also in their own interests.

However, no matter what travel companies do, they must act in accordance with the law. China's "Travel Agency Regulations" clearly stipulates that differences in age or occupation cannot be the reason for travel agencies to treat them differently. The Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Regulations explicitly prohibit charging surcharges to tourists due to age or occupational differences. The travel company's behavior of charging "age surcharge" to the elderly also violates the relevant provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, and is suspected of discriminating against the elderly, which is an obvious illegal act.

From the perspective of respecting the elderly, it is also inappropriate to charge "age surcharge" to the elderly who travel abroad. Traveling abroad is the right of every citizen. According to the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly in China, tourism companies should not only charge the elderly an "age surcharge", but also give them appropriate discounts. If travel companies are allowed to charge "age surcharge" for the elderly during their travel, the atmosphere of respecting the elderly in society may be eroded. Imagine if the travel company can do this, whether the transportation department can also charge the "age surcharge" when the elderly take the bus or plane; Whether the elderly should also charge "age surcharge" when staying in hotels. If this discrimination against the elderly spreads, what about China's traditional virtue of respecting the elderly?

The reason why some travel companies openly charge "age surcharge" to the elderly is because China's tourism market is not very standardized, which also shows that the relevant management departments are not in place to perform their duties and supervision, and the punishment for this phenomenon is weak. In fact, although the existing travel agency regulations clearly stipulate that "the difference in age or occupation cannot be the reason for travel agencies to treat differently", there is no clear punishment standard for this kind of discrimination against the elderly. Therefore, for the "age surcharge" charged by travel companies to the elderly, the relevant departments can only make a reminder, but they can't come up with an effective punishment method.

Most elderly people who travel abroad have no choice but to make excessive demands on travel companies. One option is not to take part in the tour, and the other option is to report to the relevant departments. However, after receiving the report, the relevant departments may only give the travel company a warning, which is not good for punishment. Therefore, the relevant departments should issue detailed rules and set strict punishment standards for travel companies to charge "age surcharge" to the elderly. Once this behavior of collecting "age surcharge" is discovered, law enforcement departments should severely punish it, so that travel companies dare not and dare not collect "age surcharge".

Old age should be reduced or exempted.