Why are tourists still being scammed for playing "one-day tours"? Unable to withstand the three-dimensional and precise push of "small advertisements", now in Shanghai | tourism | advertising

Summer is the peak season for tourism, with a large number of tourists from other places bringing their children to Shanghai for sightseeing. Some tourists also visit nearby cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou along the way. In earlier years, this period was often a period of high incidence of short-term tourism product scams such as irregular "one-day trips to Shanghai" and "two-day trips to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai". Nowadays, strolling through trendy cities has become a new choice for exploring Shanghai. Is there still a clich é d "one-day tour" that traps visitors?

The Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporter learned through the 12345 Citizen Service Hotline that there are not only, but also many! A large number of complaints about "one-day tours" indicate that, along with the recovery of the tourism industry, there are not only the enthusiasm of tourists, but also many "pitfalls" hidden by irregular travel agencies. This is curious: in today's social media world where various guides are flooded and information is extremely convenient, why are so many tourists still being tricked when playing "one-day tours"?

13 popular hotels, 8 with "small advertisements"

Getting a colorful one-day tour advertisement is often the beginning of being tricked by tourists from other places. This summer, "small advertisements" were accurately delivered to some popular hotels and guesthouses preferred by tourists from other places.

There are many hotels near the Zhuguang Road subway station on Line 17, which is only one station away from the Hongqiao high-speed railway station. Due to its proximity to the high-speed railway station and affordable prices, it is highly favored by tourists coming to Shanghai. Along Laiqing Road alone, there are 5 hotels gathered. On the morning of August 8th, the reporter visited these 5 hotels one by one: Walking into Laipeng Hotel, there were three advertising flyers for "Shanghai One Day Tour" placed on the rafting umbrella rack in front of me, with the cover written with words such as "Daily Class Delivery" and "180 yuan Pure Play". Opening the inner page, the words "CITIC International Travel" are printed on the top, and nearly 30 Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai tourism products with different days from one-day to five-day tours are listed below. These products are very affordable, such as the "Suzhou Garden One Day Tour" which only costs 120 yuan, while the "Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi Three Day Tour" which only costs 460 yuan, and the "Shanghai One Day Tour" which is also a gift. The same order is displayed at the front desk of Maidian Hotel and Yinxiang Hotel. In the Xie Zhan Hotel and Shen Hong Hotel, the front desk staff pointed to an empty plastic shelf and claimed that there were also advertising papers available, but they had already been picked up by the hotel guests.

There are many hotels near the Zhuguang Road subway station on Line 17, which are highly favored by tourists coming to Shanghai due to their proximity to the high-speed railway station and affordable prices. The picture shows Laipeng Hotel on Laiqing Road.

Entering the Laipeng Hotel, there are three advertising flyers for "Shanghai One Day Tour" on the drifting umbrella rack in front of me.

The front desk staff of Laipeng Hotel told reporters that there are several groups of people entering the store every day to display "small advertisements", and sometimes they don't know when they are placed. "The advertising paper they put on is different, and they even clean up other homes before placing it." The front desk staff of Maidian Hotel said that there are often guests inquiring about tourism products. "Small advertisements can be used as a reference for them, and there are still many people who take them." Can these "small advertisements" be trusted? The front desk of the Hidden Lane Hotel heard that the reporter wanted to register, and even claimed that the advertising paper had nothing to do with the hotel. Ms. Peng, who came from Guangzhou to Shanghai for tourism, signed up for the aforementioned "Suzhou Garden Day Tour" after staying at the Laipeng Hotel. She complained to "12345" that she did not actually go to the promised Lion Grove and Humble Administrator's Garden

At the front desk of the Maidian Hotel, a one-day tour advertisement and anti fraud promotional flyer were placed together.

In addition to the high-speed rail station, hotels around the scenic spots are also a popular choice for travelers coming to Shanghai to stay. In the afternoon of August 7, the reporter visited 8 hotels near Yu Garden, and found the "small ads" of "Shanghai International Travel Service" on the rafting umbrella shelf at the entrance of the Qingmu Hotel, and beside the shared charging bank at the front desk of the movie hotel. Ms. Zhang, who came to Shanghai from Yichang, Hubei, followed the "small advertisement" she received when checking into the Qingmu Hotel and signed up for a two-day trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou. As a result, her itinerary was filled with shopping points selling silk and Longjing tea.

At the entrance of Anger Hotel next to Yu Garden, a green roll up poster is very conspicuous, with "Classic Travel Guide" written in bold red font on the top, and more than 30 short-term travel products in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai are listed below. The price is also very low. For example, a two-day tour in Suzhou and Hangzhou costs only 366 yuan. But the front desk staff of the hotel said that "it is legitimate and definitely trustworthy", and the hotel has cooperation with travel agencies that display pull-up banners. The reporter dialed the phone number on Yilabao and learned that the other party is "Wanyuan International Travel Agency". The fee of 366 yuan includes scenic spot tickets, accommodation fees, and full package transportation, as well as tour guide services. The other party emphasized again during the phone call that "small advertisements are not trustworthy, we are the legitimate travel agency.". But in "12345", some citizens also complained that the Shaoxing tour arranged by "Wanyuan International Travel Agency" promised not to include self funded projects, but actually arranged self funded scenic spots

At the entrance of the Ange Hotel, a green pop-up poster stands out, with "Classic Travel Guide" written in bold red font at the top and over 30 short-term travel products from Shanghai and Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai listed below at very affordable prices.

"Small Advertisements" Appearing in Scenic Spots to Recruit Visitors

Eight out of 13 hotels have various types of one-day travel advertisements being pushed. It is not difficult to find that the relatively affordable and comfortable hotels near high-speed rail stations and attractions are the hardest hit areas for "small advertisements". In addition to being delivered to hotels and hotels, the phenomenon of distributing "small advertisements" has also resurged in major tourist attractions in Shanghai.

In "12345", many tourists in Shanghai complained that they got a "small advertisement" for a day trip when they were visiting Yu Garden, and were cheated. On August 7, the reporter also came to Yu Garden to stay.

At around 5 pm, the reporter walked north from Guanyi Street and arrived at Fangbin Middle Road. The number of tourists gathered at the intersection has increased significantly. They are clocking in and taking photos in front of the Huabao Building in Yu Garden and the Chenghuang Temple. In front of the No. 7 gate of the Yu Garden Mall, a large number of tourists are gathering to wait for the bus, and the tour guides are busy counting the number with flags. In the crowd, a man behaves strangely. He was wearing a white Polo shirt, black pants, and a small black bag on his shoulder. His gaze wandered back and forth in the crowd. I saw him approaching the crowd, taking out a stack of blue promotional leaflets from his black bag, and handing them over to everyone he met. Some tourists casually pick it up and throw it to the ground; Some tourists use it to shade or fan their faces after receiving it; Some tourists waved their hands as a refusal, and the man tried to continue to pass it on to the other party. When passing by a woman with a shoulder bag, he would also fold the promotional flyer in half and quietly stuff it into the other person's bag

The blue promotional flyer distributed by the man was a "small advertisement" for a one-day trip: the words "China National Travel" were written in a large red font in the upper left corner, and red seals such as "Shanghai Tourism Bureau Review" and "Shanghai Consumer Association" were printed next to it, as well as slogans such as "five-star travel agency". In the other areas on both sides, there are as many as 36 low-priced travel packages printed, and the "Shanghai Urban Luxury Pure Play Day Tour" with 19 items only costs 180 yuan per person.

After sending out "small ads" one by one to the tourists gathered at the gate of Yu Garden Mall, the man turned and walked towards the interior of Yu Garden Mall. Not long after walking along Ninghui Road, the man strode into Hefeng Building and shuttled between the dining tables. As long as there is someone at the table, he will put the flyer on the table and quickly leave. When encountering tourists who carefully examine flyers, the man will stop and say something to the tourists. In just half an hour, he visited various restaurants and jewelry stores, passed by numerous roadside snack stalls, and even visited the Chocolate Museum and Anta Shop. In crowded places, men will walk back and forth several times without leaving anyone behind. After a turn, he would go back to Gate 7 of the Yu Garden Mall and sit down on the steps beside the stone lion for a rest. About ten minutes later, he stood up again and followed the above route again.

△ The man in white is distributing the "small advertisement" of the blue one-day tour in the restaurant of the Yu Garden scenic spot.

At nearly 7 p.m., two women with black bags appeared in Yu Garden. They crowded in the crowd in the snack street of Yu Garden one after the other, and distributed "small advertisements" with different blue and green appearances to tourists.

More people have not yet set off and have been deceived by the internet

In addition to the traditional false belief in paper "small advertisements" and being scammed, many tourists have already fallen into the scam before departing from "12345" due to numerous complaints.

A travel agency called "Jinghao" has been complained by many tourists coming to Shanghai: Mr. Yan from Shanxi and a group of three have booked a two-day trip to Shanghai provided by Jinghao Travel Agency. One day is a regular itinerary, and the other day is dedicated to arranging a trip to Disney, paying a total of 7400 yuan. As a result, there were a series of issues throughout the entire itinerary, such as 4 diamond hotels failing to meet the standards, committing to use the VIP channel for Disney projects but still queuing up on their own, promising to play 12 projects but only fulfilling 7, and only seeing the tour guide three times during the entire trip; Mr. and Mrs. He from Chengdu, Sichuan spent 11400 yuan to book a four-day Shanghai tour package provided by Jinghao Travel Agency. In fact, the promised VIP service only included tickets and hotel accommodation, and the tour guide did not show up throughout the journey. The hotel quotes provided by travel agencies are clearly inflated... After investigation by reporters, it was found that they were all attracted by advertisements pushed on online search platforms using the keyword "Shanghai tourism" to search for travel information. People had already made payments and booked unreliable travel products before coming to Shanghai.

Mr. and Mrs. He from Chengdu, Sichuan spent 11400 yuan to book a four-day tour package in Shanghai provided by Jinghao Travel Agency.

After trying to search for the keyword "Shanghai tourism" on a certain mobile app, the online platform also gave feedback on a series of search results such as "Shanghai Free Travel Guide", "Must See Guide for First Time Travel to Shanghai", "Shanghai Travel Money Saving Guide", etc. After clicking on it, the page is similar to "Zhihu", with a question raised by someone on "How to arrange Shanghai tourism reasonably" at the top and answers provided by netizens below. The answer is varied, and while describing the travel experience, one should not forget to thank the tour guide for his careful arrangement. The reporter clicked on multiple links and found that the thanked tour guides included "Nan Nan", "Lily", "Xiao Cui", "Xiao Qin" and others. At the bottom of each page, the phone numbers of these tour guides are attached, reminding you to search and add WeChat consultation.

After trying to search for the keyword "Shanghai tourism" on the Baidu app on the phone, Baidu provided a series of search results, including "Shanghai Free Travel Guide", "Must See Guide for First Time Travel to Shanghai", and "Shanghai Travel Money Saving Guide".

After clicking on it, the page is similar to "Zhihu", with questions such as "How to arrange Shanghai tourism reasonably" raised by someone at the top and answers provided by netizens at the bottom. While describing the travel experience, do not forget to thank the tour guide for their careful arrangement. The reporter clicked on multiple links and found that the thanked tour guides included "Nan Nan", "Lily", "Xiao Cui", "Xiao Qin" and others.

The reporter actively added the WeChat account of the tour guide "Nannan", with the other party's WeChat name bearing the banner of "East China Quality Free Travel". During the conversation, the other party claimed that she was the tour guide of "Jinghao" travel agency. For the journalist's demand to participate in a one-day tour, the other party recommended a product worth 380 yuan, claiming that it not only includes "one price for all", but also offers quality services such as "gold medal certificate tour guide service", "24-hour butler service", and "full process boutique package". The reporter requested the so-called "gold medal" tour guide certificate, and the other party sent a photo of the tour guide certificate, which was labeled as "junior tour guide" next to the photo and name. The reporter verified the number on the certificate on the national tourism supervision service platform, and the website showed "no results at the moment". Moreover, after Mr. and Mrs. He filed a complaint through "12345", the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism reported that "Jinghao" did not have a travel agency operating license. The Law Enforcement Brigade of Baoshan District Culture and Tourism Bureau conducted on-site investigation according to the registered address of "Jinghao" and found it to be a virtual address. The reserved legal person phone number during registration was not answered

△ Actively adding the WeChat account of tour guide "Nannan", during the conversation, the other party claimed that she was the tour guide of "Jinghao" travel agency. The reporter requested a so-called "gold medal" tour guide certificate, and the other party sent a photo of the tour guide certificate. Checked the number on the national tourism regulatory service platform, and the website showed "no results at the moment".

In addition to "Jinghao", several similar irregular travel agencies such as "Diditong", "Lebei", and "Jiawei" have placed a massive amount of advertising information on online platforms, making it extremely easy for tourists from other places to be "precisely pushed" when learning about tourism information, thus being deceived. In contrast, there are more groups covered by Internet information, and its one-day tour routine not only pitfalls the traditional gullible groups who are greedy for cheap travel, but also pitfalls many tourists who have quality requirements for tourism.

How can legitimate and trustworthy information be accurately pushed?

Small advertisements can be overwhelming both online and offline, making it difficult for travelers to distinguish between authenticity. Moreover, once exploited, it is extremely difficult to protect one's rights. Even if passengers come to Shanghai to file complaints through "12345", they often need to negotiate refunds with travel agencies themselves because these agencies, such as "Shanghai International Travel Agency", "China National Travel Agency", and "Jinghao Travel Agency", are all non regular travel agencies and are suspected of illegal tourism business and have not been registered. They are not within the jurisdiction of the cultural and tourism department. The reporter contacted multiple complaining travelers, all of whom reported that the travel agencies involved often verbally promised refunds, but then blocked them on WeChat and refused to answer their phone calls, leaving extremely bad memories for these travelers during their trip to Shanghai

In fact, facing the tourists coming to Shanghai, Shanghai has prepared a rich range of urban tourism products. The reporter inquired about tourism products related to Spring and Autumn tourism, and the staff introduced that if you want to "take a quick tour" of Shanghai, you can choose to take a sightseeing bus, a building and reading dedicated line bus, with a total of 6 routes to choose from. Not only does it cover major landmark attractions, but you can also get on and off at any time; If you want to have a deep experience, you can choose the city "micro tour" launched in Spring and Autumn, which means spending half a day on deep tourism for a certain urban area under the guidance and explanation of a tour guide. If you want to travel to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, open online travel platforms such as Ctrip, and there are also many legitimate products to choose from.

But the problem is that these legitimate and trustworthy product information is not easily accessible to tourists from other places. Taking sightseeing buses as an example, the staff of Spring and Autumn Tourism admitted that for tourists from other places who come to Shanghai, unless they have rich travel experience and are good at obtaining travel information from the internet, they can only go to the scenic spots to see the buses and stop signs, and then know that Shanghai has launched related tourism products. During the visit, the reporter also found beautifully crafted Shanghai tour guides, Suzhou River cruise route introductions, and other tourism promotional materials at the front desk of some hotels. However, most of these brochures only appear in relatively high-end hotels, and it is difficult to find them in the economy and comfort hotels favored by tourists from other places coming to Shanghai.

Continuing to crack down on the chaos of one-day travel scams, in addition to cracking down on unlicensed travel agencies and distributing "small advertisements," Shanghai should also consider how to accurately push legitimate tourism product information to tourists visiting Shanghai. Industry insiders believe that setting up integrated tourism consulting centers or counters at the gateway transportation hub to Shanghai and actively promoting urban tourism products is an effective response. It is also understood that in recent years, some tourism service companies in Shenzhen had set up consultation counters on the arrival level of Hongqiao Station, but ultimately withdrew the counters due to remote locations, poor performance, high rent, and other reasons. Related tourism service companies also suggest that the above-mentioned tourism consulting centers should reflect a certain degree of public welfare. Is it possible to consider government departments selecting suitable areas for unified construction, for various tourism service enterprises and platforms to settle in, so that tourists who come to Shanghai can access authoritative and reliable tourism information when they step into Shanghai.

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