According to incomplete statistics, Zhejiang has over 100 rafting spots. But industry insiders say that whether the rapids are steep or the currents fast doesn’t require a safety assessment for a site to open. Massive visitor flows face a shortage of rescuers, an unregulated system for vetting safety personnel, and hidden safety risks.
Rescue personnel are clearly insufficient
Chen Hang, head of the safety section at the Yuhang District Scenic Area Tourism Bureau in Hangzhou, said that generally, rafters and lifeguards at rafting spots undergo safety training for rescuing and self-rescue, but unlike other industries, they don’t receive certified credentials or proof, nor do they need to pass assessments by professional institutions before starting work. According to industry insiders, farmers living near water are generally good swimmers, and rafting site staff don’t need to submit any materials to the site to start working.
During interviews, apart from Shuangxi Rafting where the accident occurred, the heads of attractions such as Jiulongxi Rafting, Liuxijiang Rafting, and Tianmuxi Rafting did not give clear answers regarding how many rescuers are deployed on the river. An industry insider who preferred to remain anonymous revealed that generally, a rafting river course has no more than five rapids, and the number of fixed plus patrolling safety personnel does not exceed ten.
Manager Xie of Shuangxi Rafting repeatedly stated that safety personnel are stationed at dangerous sections of the river. But in the event of a major accident, can one safety officer plus one rafter really manage to rescue 10 to 12 tourists on a bamboo raft?
Data shows that during the 2010 summer vacation, Shuangxi Rafting received 200,000 visitors in just 20 days — a figure that is completely out of proportion to the number of rescuers.
Low barriers to launching rafting projects
Officials from the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau and the Yuhang District Scenic Area Tourism Bureau in Hangzhou said that to launch a rafting project, scenic areas only need to apply for a business license with the industrial and commercial authorities, without undergoing any safety risk assessment. “Around the year 2000, rafting spots in Zhejiang had to pass evaluations by harbor management departments, but as far as I know, by 2005, there were no barriers at all — any enterprise could start a rafting project just by clearing the industrial and commercial hurdle,” said an industry insider. He added that as far as he knows, currently, high-risk sports like rock climbing and skydiving require approval from cultural and sports bureaus, but although rafting is also a high-risk activity, its approval process differs. “Rafting, marketed for its thrilling excitement, is the hottest tourist attraction in summer, so investors are keen to set up rafting operations at scenic spots to boost revenue from other facilities. Now, rafting spots have sprung up all over Zhejiang, numbering over 100. Whether they’re safe is something only the enterprises themselves check and know.”
A well-known rafting company executive said that among Zhejiang’s many rafting spots, there are plenty of small ones spontaneously set up by villagers. In reality, all you need to do is lease the water area, build a few dams, equip some kayaks, put up a few auxiliary buildings, and hire a few local farmers as staff — and you can run a rafting project. There’s a saying among people: if marketing is done well, the investment can be recouped in one or two years.
The “Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China,” which will officially come into effect on October 1 this year, states in Article 42 that for a scenic area to open, it must have necessary tourism supporting services and auxiliary facilities; essential safety facilities and systems, and must undergo safety risk assessments and meet safety conditions before opening. However, “this does not impose constraints on enterprises that have already obtained licenses,” according to industry insiders.