Pie fell from the sky? Beware of the "Eight Traps" of Travel Agencies
Myth 1: Low price equals special price-price is the only basis for choosing a group.
Grandma Huang was secretly pleased to see in the newspaper that a travel agency organized a one-day tour of Panyu Baomo Garden and Changlong, and the price was less than that of 50 yuan. You know, the ticket for Chimelong alone costs more than 100 yuan. However, there is still a small print below indicating that the fee includes: "air-conditioned car+meal fee+tour guide+travel liability insurance", but there is no "ticket".
In addition, it is understood that the current summer study tour routes are generally around 10 to more than 20 days, all of which are launched in winter and summer vacations, mainly in English-speaking countries, among which Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Japan are the most popular, and the itinerary design has added rich learning and participation elements. Due to the high cost, the fees are generally high, and the 10-day Australian study tour generally needs 65438. With such a large cost, if you join a "triad society" with a variety of tricks, you will not only have to pay a high tour fee, but also your children will not get any protection during their study and life. If anything goes wrong, it can be said that it is a loss of wife and a loss of soldiers. It is really not worth the loss.
Comments: As the saying goes, "You get what you pay for" is very appropriate for traveling. Sometimes the price difference of a route is only 100 yuan, and its tourism grade is far from the same. For example, the same group with an expensive domestic tour route of 100 yuan can stay in a three-star hotel, and the entrance and exit are air-conditioned buses, and the group meals are standard eight dishes and one soup, while the cheap group with 100 yuan can stay in a quasi-three-star or even two-star hotel, and the entrance and exit are non-air-conditioned, and the group meals are also eight dishes and one soup, but there are many vegetarian dishes. Don't think this is just a scare. This is a real case of a travel agency traveling in East China. As tourism enters the era of meager profit, only 100 yuan is enough for tour groups to set a new standard.
Of course, there are also some good "special offers". For example, Guangdong CTS took the 55th anniversary of the social celebration as an opportunity to launch a one-day tour of 55 yuan and Hong Kong, setting the lowest price in the Hong Kong tour market in 20 years. Some institutional people also analyzed the quotation, saying that the 55-hole tour may not lose money, but will only earn less. Holding the social celebration is also "corporate public relations", and the special line launched is only the "voice" to warm up the summer market.
But just the number of scenic spots can't determine the quality of the tourism team. Travel agencies, as operators of tourism products, will certainly not make any mistakes in the most obvious links. Therefore, if you look at the regular tourist routes, the itinerary of each travel agency is very similar, and you can't see anything about the itinerary and scenic spots. We should also evaluate whether the team is worth the money from other aspects. Many people like to look for problems from the itinerary of tourist routes and see how many scenic spots are included in the routes launched by several travel agencies. Of course, the number of scenic spots is also an important criterion to measure a team. Don't forget to look at the specific itinerary when signing the contract, and make sure that all the scenic spots include tickets (at least the first ticket). Especially for short-distance tour groups in the province, the number of scenic spots is still the main factor determining the price of tour groups.
Therefore, the price is not the only reference for summer vacation travel, and the idea that low price equals special price is not desirable. The quality and standard of the tour route itself is the more important basis for choosing a tour group, and we can't blindly covet cheap. You can't just look at the surface price. The most important thing is to understand the true value of a tourism product through six elements, such as attractions, accommodation and catering standards.
Myth 2: Advertising is equal to the trip-its content is the only standard of quality.
Last summer vacation, 12-year-old Dongdong participated in the Beijing Summer Camp organized by the school. After coming back, Dongdong, who was full of grievances, kept complaining to his parents: "I have been in Beijing for five days and I haven't left a deep impression on the capital." It turns out that before the holiday, the school can see the promotional materials and advertisements of the summer camp every day. After the parents agreed, Dongdong happily joined a student group of 1580 yuan. However, when I arrived in Beijing, I got up early every morning and shuttled non-stop to various scenic spots. The longest stay was two and a half hours at the Great Wall.
Comments: Colorful advertisements and colorful advertising words have always impressed consumers the most. Nowadays, advertisements play a "digital game", which is a maze of advertisements that ordinary tourists and even insiders can't understand. The content of the advertisement is as rich as the itinerary, such as days, scenic spots, accommodation, catering, transportation and so on. The biggest piece is the characteristics of the route, and the rich vocabulary makes people think, as if they were in a fairyland.
However, imagination must be imagination, and consumers still have to figure out the content of advertisements. Moreover, although advertising is equivalent to a contract, advertising is not the whole of the contract, let alone the itinerary. In the advertisement, the travel agency may inflate the number of days, split the scenic spots, and write as many scenic spots of the same scenic spot as possible in the itinerary, but it is actually just a big scenic spot. Some advertisements have a long list of scenic spots, which makes people feel that the itinerary is rich. In fact, these lists are likely to be "decomposed", with several names listed in one scenic spot, or a series of scenic spots with low or free tickets are selected for advertising. Finally, they really came down and found that it was just a few scenic spots. Consumers still have to follow the itinerary at the time of registration, and the words in the advertisement may be exaggerated. This is just a means for travel agencies to promote sales. As long as it is not excessive, it is reasonable for consumers to be too serious. The key is to go to the travel agency to consult and sign up in person and ask about the relevant content. You can't take it for granted to judge tourism products yourself.
Myth 3 "star of sight" equals "star of goal"-there is no uniform format for joining the league.
Mr. He once took part in a tour group in Jiuzhaigou. Before leaving, he agreed to stay in a three-star hotel. However, because the local hotel was particularly nervous, the group finally checked into a small hotel in the main town of Sichuan in the middle of the night. Altitude sickness, cold, no toilet, although he can understand the objective conditions at that time, but after traveling abroad, he will definitely ask to join those teams with designated accommodation hotels.
Comments: I don't know when the accommodation standards of tour groups have been called "quasi-star" and "standard star", which is of course related to the star standard of hotels. Some hotels are listed star hotels, that is, "standard star hotels" (referred to as "star hotels"), and some hotels are "quasi-star hotels" (referred to as "star hotels") although they are not listed, but they are "applying for star hotels" or "feel that they have the standards of star hotels".
Travel agencies usually classify tour groups by "star hotels". Generally speaking, standard groups stay in two-star or equivalent hotels, luxury groups stay in three-star or equivalent hotels, and ultra-luxury groups stay in four-star or above hotels. However, not every hotel with hardware facilities can successfully select star-rated hotels, and hotel software is also one of the keys to evaluation. In this long evaluation process, the hotel can only call itself a "quasi-star" hotel, so many guests will find that the hotel does not have a "star brand", and there is no uniform standard for the quality of the hotel's decoration facilities and equipment, which depends entirely on consumers' "subjective consciousness" feelings and judgments.
Every tourist season, hotel accommodation will become a hot spot for complaints. Before signing up for a tour group, the most important thing for consumers is to find out which hotel to stay in, or which hotels it may be. Usually, the "allowed" hotel is The New Inn, and their accommodation conditions are sometimes better than the old "standard" hotel.
Misunderstanding: Four groups are equal to "selling piglets"-"legal groups" are also illegal.
Mr. Liu and his friends joined the Shanxi tour group of the travel agency. When they arrived in Taiyuan, they found that the local travel agency had combined 12 tourists from two other tour groups with them. Due to the lack of coordination and communication between local escorts, tourists sometimes compete for seats on tour buses and crowd out each other when eating.
When the number of a single tour group does not reach the number of tour groups, the travel agency may have the phenomenon of "not receiving enough guests". Land agencies usually combine these scattered teams into a team to organize tours. However, the tour group will definitely inform the guests in advance and send a team after obtaining the consent of the guests.
Comments: "Legally assembling a group" is the exclusive term of tourism, and "selling pigs" is the exclusive term of consumers. The similarity between the two is that the group members come from different registration points or institutions. The difference is that the former knows that "it may be sold" before registration, while the latter knows that "selling pigs" is legal.
The Tourism Quality Supervision Office will deal with the behavior of "joining a group" according to the situation: if the travel agency informs the guests before departure and it is also stated in the travel contract, there is no complaint here; If the travel agency "organized a group" without informing the guests in advance, causing a series of unpleasantness, the guests can complain to the relevant departments.
Myth 5 "6 days" is equal to "6 whole days"-traveling is not necessarily "going out early and returning late"
Miss Xiao, who is planning to take part in a 6-day tour in Beijing, took a pile of data to compare and left three or four travel agencies. There are 8 scenic spots in the itinerary of each travel agency, and the price difference is nearly 1000 yuan. It turned out that the traffic was at work. In long-distance travel, air tickets are always the "big head" of the tour fare. The price of the same tour route varies greatly, so find the reason from the flight first. The prices of flights departing at different times vary greatly. Most reputable travel agencies will put each team's flights into their itinerary. Miss Xiao visited several travel agencies, and the travel itinerary in her hand indicated the round-trip flight time. The most suitable flight for travel should be "leaving early and returning late", which can ensure sufficient travel time without being too tired.
Comments: I often see some tourists complaining that life is not enough after returning from their travels. The reason is that the departure time is afternoon or evening and the return time is morning. How can I write for so many days in travel itinerary? After deducting the first two days, there are not many days in the scenic spot. But in fact, the time occupied by vehicles is inevitable in travel. Unless consumers arrive at the tourist destination and join a travel agency locally, the time occupied by transportation in the tour group will be shortened.
As for the problem of "leaving late and returning early", it often happens in tour groups, because discounted motorcycle tickets are usually in the morning or evening. Sometimes, in order to save costs, it is understandable for tour groups to choose "late departure and early return" flights, as long as tourists make it clear when signing up.
Myth 6: Tickets are equal to packages-you shouldn't pay for travel.
Mr. Wang has just participated in the May 1st Hainan Tour of a travel agency. During the five-day trip, Mr. Wang encountered one annoyance after another: unable to withstand the persuasion of the tour guide, Mr. Wang and others visited Chaoyin Temple, a temple in the famous Dongshan Mountains. Seeing the incense in full swing, Wang and others eagerly added incense. Asked about 130 yuan/person's incense money, it seems a little unreasonable not to burn incense in the temple, so Mr. Wang had to pay bitterly. Next, in the famous Nanshan Temple scenic spot in Sanya, Mr. Wang and others want to visit the Thousand-handed Guanyin with relics and have to make their own receipts.
Comments: Some travel agency advertisements claim that travel expenses include tickets, but tourist attractions are often divided into "big tickets" and "small tickets". "Big tickets" are the tickets for the gate of the scenic spot, such as "scenery in the middle", "garden in the garden" and ropeway fees, and so on. It is best to ask before signing the registration contract.
Moreover, in the process of traveling, tour guides often ask for "adding points" (that is, adding scenic spots). According to the general practice, the travel agency indicates in the travel contract that "it is suggested to pay at one's own expense × 100 yuan" or "it is suggested to add × scenic spots at one's own expense", and the tourists think that it will be signed and come into effect without objection. During the trip, the travel society strictly follows the requirements of the contract to ensure that all the scenic spots on the itinerary are visited. When the tour guide advises tourists to increase their own scenic spots, they will ask the guests to sign to ensure that they will "voluntarily participate in self-funded projects". When inviting guests to participate in "interactive" projects, tourist attractions should inform guests in advance or post charging standards in eye-catching positions. In addition, the number of points will be agreed in the travel contract. It is unreasonable for travel agencies to add extra points, and tourists can complain to relevant departments.
Myth: Seven groups of rice equals a big meal-eight dishes and one soup are the "banquet standard"
Last year, Mr. Chen traveled to Beihai. At dinner, the tour guide took the team to a seafood restaurant, claiming to let tourists taste local seafood. No catering was arranged in the evening, and tourists ordered at their own expense. Mr. Chen and others asked for a refund of the meal, but were told that the meal was not originally planned. Generally speaking, there is a set standard for the meals of tour groups. Generally speaking, the words "meal fee standard: 50 yuan/day" will be written in the itinerary, which means that the daily meal fee standard is 50 yuan per person, breakfast 10 yuan, lunch and dinner 20 yuan.
Comments: Guangdong tourists often pop up comments of "not used to eating" and "not eating well". As we all know, the quality of group meals often becomes one of consumers' complaints. Travel agencies usually indicate how many meals are included in the itinerary, and some even indicate how many meals are included. However, the standard of travel agencies is often "eat well" rather than "eat well", because the standard of "eat well" varies from person to person, so the expectations for group meals should not be too high unless the tour group features "gourmet" packaging, and the "gourmet" in other provinces is different from that in Guangdong.
Nevertheless, tourists should do as the Romans do and try local dishes. Anyway, the tour fare is so expensive that they are reluctant to part with this "soy sauce money". If there is no arrangement in the group meal, they can "chip in" and ask the tour guide to help them add food. I believe an unforgettable dish will make the trip more interesting.
Myth: entering the store is equal to "black shop"-shopping is "beyond business scope"
Miss Tang participated in the "Four-Day Luxury Tour of Hainan" in June and February last year. Needless to say, the island scenery along the way is beautiful and the accommodation is very good, but in just four days, the tour group actually went to eight or nine shopping spots such as pearls, tea, bear bile, local products, seafood and health care products. What's more, there is a time limit for visiting scenic spots, but there is never a time limit for shopping, and it often takes a long time and takes up a lot of time.
Comments: At present, there is an unwritten rule in travel agencies: the number of designated shoppers per day 1. When the schedule is tight, shopping time will be arranged twice a day, but on average, it is 1 every day. If the number of shopping spots exceeds the specified number or the shopping time is too long, the accompanying person has the right to give a warning and stop the behavior of the accompanying person, and report to the ground agency or the group agency when necessary. Too many shopping spots and too long shopping time are a problem that consumers complain more about at present. During the whole journey, the whole escort must undertake the task of coordinating and supervising the local escort work. Consumers who have quality problems when shopping at shopping spots designated by travel agencies can also negotiate with tour guides or merchants for replacement or compensation.