Neil_Oz

Yet again I’ve been told about a lousy scam that Chinese tour companies are perpetrating on their clients. This time, tour groups are being taken to Bondi Beach and then told by the tour leader that the Australian government charges $20 a head to actually step onto the sand. The tour leader then helpfully collects the money. To put this in context, $20 is about half a week’s pay for a lot of Chinese workers.

I read also that tour groups are told they’re visiting Surfer’s Paradise, but are put up at Southport (I think), where associates of the tour company own shops selling souvenirs at outrageous markups. Tour members are warned not to go near an Australian-owned shop, as Australians are notorious racists who will abuse and possibly assault them.

Separately I heard that at least one Japanese company was selling expensive side trips touted as a “harbour cruise with lunch”. They then took their unwitting victims to Circular Quay, led them on to the Manly ferry and bought them fish and chips for lunch.

One article I read claimed that federal and state tourism ministers have been unable or unwilling to get their act together so as to stop the Gold Coast behaviour in particular.

Is anyone else as outraged as I am to hear that foreign tourists - sitting ducks because they have little or no English and may well be on their first ever overseas trip - are being ripped off in this cynical way, and Australians and their government are getting the blame? What sort of reputation are these practices getting us in Asian countries?

And what, if anything, do the responsible governments plan to do about it? A few suggestions: enact severe fines and loss of licenses for infractions, and plant “spies” in tour groups to report offenders. Also, seek the Chinese government’s cooperation in getting air time on Chinese TV to “out” these scumbags.

pat_woolford

Neil, I've been outraged about it for years. Japanese before, I can tell you no end of scams. But as you know, this has nothing to do with Australian Government or Australian tour operators. Many times have been to our better Chinese restaurants in Cairns, their lunchtime yum cha is at least as good as anything you'd find in Dixon St, Sydney, and even many in HK. These poor people come in in hordes, led by a strident tour operator, literally screaming at them to hurry their meal and get out in no time to meet their next tour. They're not even given the option of a decent meal, everything comes served in plastic bowls and its terribly inferior food compared with what else is being served. Which these poor people can see. Makes you wonder how much they paid for it. There's supposed to be some regulation now on stopping touts taking these non-English speaking people to their designated shopping areas for kickbacks, but can't see much evidence in stopping practice. Local business people suffer as they don't get a look in, but it goes on. Probably a reason why the more sophisticated Japanese tour market to Australia is on the decline.

Neil_Oz

Well, Pat, it can only get worse, I reckon. I read that by (I think) 2010 something like 100 million Chinese people will be able to afford foreign travel. I was told the Bondi story by a Chinese-Australian member of our extended family who was disgusted that these operators were doing this to their own people. But as I say, it reflects on Australians too and will do nothing for our reputation in the country that will soon be our biggest trading partner, not to mention the world's largest economy. I'm not saying the Australian government has created the problem, but I'd certainly expect it - and state/territory governments - to be aware of the consequences and show an interest in coordinating more effective policing of the industry.

lizF

I spent two year trying to learn Japanese when I lived on the Gold Coast and with the help of the teachers we put up signs in Japanese virtually rebutting the claims by the tour organizers. For a while things did change for the better but I think it is back to the old rip offs again and really something must be done as it reflects poorly on Australia and Australians.
I cannot see why there is difficulty in regulating tour companies and organizers every other thing in Australia has regulation so what is wrong with getting on top of these scams? Perhaps one ruling could be that for every Chinese or Japanese tour guide there must be an accompanying Australian / anglo-saxon born and bred Aussie to make sure that the interests of Australia and Australians are being looked after. I would bet a whole lot of money that no Australian would be able to take around a group of Australians in China.
Perhaps Neil a letter to the Editor of SMH, Melbourne Sun and Courier Mail ( heaven forbid) would be a first step in bringing this back to the attention of the authorities.

Neil_Oz

Good idea about a letter, Liz. I like your idea of local "shadows" but would add that they'd need to be fluent in Japanese or Mandarin (or maybe Cantonese) as applicable. I see no reason why they'd have to be Anglo-Saxon, though. I would think an Italian-Australian, Polish-Australian, Chinese-Australian or any other hyphenated Australian could be trusted to do the job. For that matter even an Anglo-Celtic Australian like me could probably manage it - in fact my extensive convict heritage makes me highly qualified to detect dodgy behaviour.

Another solution might be to randomly plant spies in tour groups.

lizF

Well you know what I meant - a non overseas born Aussie of whatever persuasion who would be less likely to be "bought". Wasn't really talking about specifics there. There would be plenty who can speak Japanese or Chinese. At least it needs some sort of monitoring.

AndrewDavid

Neil, Don't worry we've left the spy cam up in Oakland since John and jenny's visit to make sure you're not ripped off. If I see any evidence of abuse I can sound a very loud horn under the pillows all the way from Victoria. Isn't science grand

AndrewDavid

Ps Pat and mike abused us w/ kindness at the Lilybank B&B

Neil_Oz

Andrew, there's no end to your thoughtfulness. I can't begin to tell you how much more secure I feel now. I really can't.

If I elect not to have my conversations monitored for training and quality control purposes, though, can I advise the operator?

wlzmatilida

Neil,

This is absolutely disgusting. And it's not an isolated instance; this sort of thing goes on all over the world, and many of the "authorities" who should be cracking down on these people seem to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.

Honestly, I don't know how this works in Oz - in the US, tour operators must have a license and be bonded, and if there were complaints they could be shut down.

If you like I'll be happy to pass on your post to the people I know to Tourism Australia in LA. They in turn, will send it along to the Sydney office.

Logically speaking, they SHOULD absolutely care and be able to do something with these scam artists as it directly affects tourism in Australia, and that's their job to promote it and protect it -- say the word and I'll send it along!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

Neil_Oz

Melodie, the word is said! Thanks!

Restricting tour groups to "friendly" shops is just a logical extension of what happens in China, where tour guides collect kickbacks from certain shops and restaurants. We took a day tour in China and we tolerated the obligatory shopping stops because we knew what the deal was before we arrived, and declined to buy any of their overpriced products. The problem here is that, from all accounts, the tactic is to put the fear of God into Chinese tour groups and tar Australians' reputation in the process. Most of the poor buggers can't speak or read English, so they're very much at the mercy of their larcenous tour companies.

In view of the accusations of Australians' "racism" I thought it was ironic that a Chinese colleague of my China-resident daughters recently got back from a solo trip to Australia and complained that Sydney was full of "dark-skinned people".

Bokhara

Neil,
Just an aside to your last comment, a (Chinese) friend says her grandfather was taught that the World's people were either overcooked (dark skinned races), undercooked(caucasians) or done to perfection when God made them.

wlzmatilida

Neil,

have sent an email to the Tourism Australia office in LA and asked that they forward it onto Sydney.

As this is run by the government, I assume the wheels will grind slowly, but will keep you advised when I hear back!

Melodie

Neil_Oz

Thanks, Melodie. I suspect the wheels will grind very slowly indeed, because we have the same federal-state-local government tiers as you guys, but with less excuse in a country of only 20 million people - a grossly inefficient system riddled with overlaps and buck-passing. That means that many governmental functions are split between two or possibly three tiers of government, and tourism is one of them.

The last time anyone took a poll on the subject, the biggest vote went in favour of scrapping state governments in favour of a 2-tier model - federal plus expanded regional governments, as in the UK (not counting the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, and I think nobody does count them seriously). Yet at the same time most people are fatalistic about our chances of getting serious reform, given the hysterical response that would inevitably come from state pols, public servants and assorted interest groups.

Actually the easiest tier to abolish would be local government, since it has no constitutional protection and is generally agreed to be the least efficient and prone to greater corruption. Maybe we should create more states and abolish local councils?

Tassietwister

I feel ripped off by tour operators in general, nothing seems to me a unique Chinese problem.

FNQ is unbelievable. I love the place to death but ordinary Australians just can't afford to holiday there, cheaper to go o/s. And lets not start on the Blue Mountains, only a few years ago it was great value. Now the ugly side is up and running.

Neil_Oz

An update on the situation, which is worse than I thought. A couple of fine examples of political buckpassing in this article, which just strengthens my position that we should abolish state governments ASAP.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...407959625.html

vbca

Unfortunately this problem isn't confined to Australia. Tour guides have been taking "commissions" from New Zealand retailers for years.
It was big news a few years ago, but less is heard of it more recently; probably because all the retailers who wouldn't 'cough up' have gone broke.

I'm not sure if there is a problen with Chinese tourists, but before the Asian crash the Korean market was rife with corruption. scams, whatever.

One popular scam was for the agent in Korea to collect all their clients spending money, and issue them with a "Credit Card" with this amount pre loaded. Problem was that the card was only accepted by stores which were owned by Korean interests.

Another instance I have personal experience of. There was a vacant shop in Te Anau. Korean interests aproached the owner with a view to leasing the shop to serve meals, and sell souveneers. He wanted the front (Street side) entrance closed up, and a new entrance constructed at the rear, so the tour coaches could unload the passengers directly into the shop, and there was no chance of them 'escaping' into the main street. To his credit the owner told them to "F off".

Fortunately the Asian stock market crash killed the Korean market for about 5 years, and as far as I know it has not yet returned to the bad old days.