The Hong Kong Travel Industry Council has issued guidelines to prevent Chinese mainland visitors from being abandoned in Hong Kong by their travel agencies.

Saturday's Hong Kong edition of China Daily reported that the council has also joined efforts with Shenzhen tourism authorities to resolve payment problems relating to visiting Chinese mainland tourists.

The measures were taken after over 200 visitors from southwest China's Yunnan Province were left stranded at a square in central part of Hong Kong for two hours earlier this week because their local travel agency did not receive payment from its Chinese mainland counterparts.

Representatives from Hong Kong Travel Industry Council and Shenzhen Tourism Bureau met Friday to discuss ways for solving the problems.

They agreed if their member agencies were involved in financial disputes, the HK council would provide the payment first to enable the HK tours to continue and reclaim the money from the bureau later.

All Shenzhen travel agencies are asked to pay for the bureau 600,000 yuan (US$76,923) as guarantee fund in advance, local press said.

If travel agencies cancel HK tours for any reason, they are required to notify agencies concerned 24 hours before the tour groups' scheduled time for arriving in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has been stepping up efforts with a series of measures for receiving Chinese mainland tourists and an inter-departmental headquarters will be operational for solving problems concerning Chinese mainland visitors during the National Day Holidays, or the Golden Week, from Oct 1 to 7.

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2003)