Hong Kong has taken firm action against two travel agencies and a tour guide implicated in alleged forced shopping practices targeting tourists. Local tourism authorities have suspended the licenses of all three parties.
The two sanctioned travel agencies are Go Go Ming Travel Services Limited and Grandee Travel Company Limited. The tour guide whose license was suspended is named Sun Kwun-ying.
According to the South China Morning Post (Saturday, September 12, 2026), both travel agencies handled tour groups in February and April 2026. During these tours, tourists were allegedly pressured into purchasing items as part of the itinerary.
What the Investigation Found
The Travel Industry Authority (TIA) stated that the travel agencies failed to take reasonable steps to protect tourists from forced shopping practices. The authority also identified other alleged violations that occurred during the tours.
Sun Kwun-ying reportedly made threatening remarks to pressure tourists into making purchases. The Standard reported that this pressure occurred while the group was on a tour led by the guide.
Zero Tolerance Amid Rising Tourist Numbers
The TIA emphasized it will not tolerate forced shopping practices or any other conduct that could damage Hong Kong’s reputation as a tourist destination. This crackdown comes even as tourist arrivals to Hong Kong continue to rise.
Hong Kong ranks as the world’s second most-visited city, after Bangkok. In the first seven months of this year, Hong Kong received 31.22 million tourist visits.
That figure marks a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. Amid this rising visitor volume, Hong Kong is working to safeguard the tourist experience while protecting its reputation as an international destination.
Forced shopping practices have become one of the violations now drawing serious attention from local authorities.
