China bars hotels from refusing foreign guests as government enhances business environment

By Minh Hieu May 28, 2024 | 05:29 pm PT

Visitors pose for photos at Shanghai Disney Resort as the Shanghai Disneyland theme park in Shanghai, China May 11, 2020. Photo by Reuters

Chinese authorities has asked local hotels not to turn away international visitors following complaints from travelers from Nigeria, the U.K., Pakistan, and other countries.

The travelers reported that hotels refused to serve them, citing reasons such as "lacking qualifications for receiving foreign guests" or "not knowing how to input information into the systems," Global Times reported.

The China Hotel Association will "guide and supervise" the hospitality sector to better accommodate foreign travelers and enhance service staff standards, as announced by the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Commerce, and National Immigration Bureau.

Authorities also plan to provide online booking platforms' operators with free hotel-related English courses and training for check-in registration procedures, as well as help workers in the industry improve their foreign language proficiency, according to CNA.

The Ministry of Public Security is mobilizing its agencies across the country to assist with the registration process for international guests and "create a first-class business environment," the Chinese government said.

The new policy comes as China tries to attract tourists post-Covid, especially international ones.

China saw 13.07 million foreign nationals in the first quarter of 2024, more than triple the number from the same period last year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration reported by CGTN.