CRI听力:China Keeps Tabs on Misbehaving Tourists

Based on new rules, authorities will record tourists who get caught violating local customs, destroying public facilities or historical relics, becoming unruly on public transportation, or taking part in illegal gambling.

The tourism authority will notify the tourists about the record, and in some cases report them to the police, customs, and banks.

Li Jinzao is the Director of the National Tourism Administration.

"We will share these records with other sectors, such as airlines and hotels. We feel if we don't do this, the black-list won't have any impact."

The move follows a series of recent incidents involving Chinese tourists.

In the latest incident, 3 Chinese tourists in Japan during the Tomb Sweeping holiday were arrested for sexual harassment.

Liu Simin with the Beijing Tourism Society says the creation of the black-list is more about creating a deterrent than it is about punishment.

"These measures will definitely have an effect on tourists' behaviors. But it is more about making the tourists aware of their actions, as there are not many specific punishment measures. So in this sense, the record is more like a shame list, which could force tourist to behave accordingly. "

Meanwhile, Chen Caiyin, a manager with a tourism site, says more information about local customs should be provided to tourists to avoid cultural misunderstanding.

"A number of Chinese tourists who violate local rules or misbehave while visiting other countries did not do these things on purpose. Sometimes, they just didn't know, they were not aware of local customs."

Liu says that to reduce misbehavior, the key is to build awareness.

"On one hand, we can enforce the existing laws to regulate tourists' behaviors; on the other hand, we need the public and media to keep a constant focus on this issue. As long as the awareness is built, we may see less misbehavior among tourists."

The new rules were enacted earlier this week.

For CRI, I'm Yin Qiuqi.