China’s New Tourism Law Takes Effect: Shopping Tours to the Mainland May Rise by Up to 50%

▲ China’s new Tourism Law has taken effect, leading to rising tour costs for trips to the mainland. The photo shows Shanhaiguan, known as the “First Pass Under Heaven,” on the Great Wall. (Photo / Reporter Tan Zhidong)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

China’s new Tourism Law officially came into effect on October 1, strictly prohibiting unreasonable shopping arrangements and zero-fee tours for both domestic and international travel. Industry insiders estimate that the new law will impact so-called “shopping tours” that focus heavily on shopping, with per-person tour costs potentially increasing by up to 50%.

To improve the quality of tourism, China officially implemented its new Tourism Law starting October 1, imposing strict regulations on both domestic and international travel to address issues like unreasonable shopping and zero-fee tours. The first to be affected include not only tours from the mainland to Taiwan but also trips from Taiwan to the mainland.

Travel industry operators noted that while the new law has minimal impact on itineraries explicitly labeled as “no shopping,” tour prices for routes with more shopping stops are expected to rise significantly. For example, tour costs for destinations like East China and Beijing, which typically include many shopping stops, are projected to increase by 20% to 30%, with a maximum rise of up to 50%. However, it is still unclear whether this will affect the willingness of the public to travel to the mainland. That said, due to the stricter regulations, practices such as price undercutting, low-cost tour packages, and high commissions from tourist shopping are also expected to improve.

Man Hongwei, Director of the Taipei Office of the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits (ATETS), also stated that after the implementation of the new law, the cooperation model between mainland ground operators and Taiwanese tour organizers will change, and the survival space for shopping-focused tour groups is expected to become increasingly limited.