Introduction
The Demerit System for Mainland Tour Reception Services: Members has been in place since 1 February 2011 with an aim to improve the standard of reception services for inbound tours organised in mainland China (mainland tours), thus upholding the good reputation of Hong Kong’s tourism industry. The Demerit System will not affect the power of the Board or the Compliance Committee to impose penalties, including the power to suspend or terminate the membership of members.
Guidelines for giving demerits
If members are suspected of violating such rules as listed in “Applicable rules under the Demerit System” and are later found by the Compliance Committee to have violated the rules, then demerits will be given on top of the penalties (including issuance of a warning, imposition of a fine, issuance of a reprimand, imposition of the requirement for compliance with TIC rules, suspension of membership, and termination of membership) currently imposable, both according to the grades of violation:
| Violation grade | No. of demerits |
|---|---|
| Minor | 0 |
| Not serious | 5 |
| Serious | 10 |
| Very serious | 15 |
| Extremely serious | 20 |
If the number of accumulated demerits reaches 30 within two years, the membership of the member concerned will be suspended or terminated.
Applicable rules under the Demerit System
Those rules of the TIC subsumed under the Demerit System are listed in “Applicable rules under the Demerit System”, which may be revised from time to time. Members should check its latest version here.
Announcement of Demerits
For those members which have been given demerits for having violated such rules as listed in “Applicable rules under the Demerit System”, their names, the number of demerits given, the rules violated and the reasons of violations will be posted in the “Cases of Travel Agent Violations” section. If the violations are considered minor or not serious, such information will be posted for one month; and if the violations are considered serious, very serious or extremely serious, such information will be posted for one year.