TOURISM authorities in the city are considering plans to allow tourists to use a property certificate or bank deposit certificate as a deposit instead of cash when travelling abroad.
Several problems must still be worked out before the practice can be enacted, however, the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission said.
Currently, tourists heading abroad must put down a cash deposit of up to 50,000 yuan (US$6,440) to ensure they will return to China. The commission has received complaints from many tourists, however, about travel agencies that refuse to pay interest on the large deposits. The agencies tend to claim not paying interest is an industry-wide practice.
A local tourist surnamed Wu said he had to put up a 50,000 yuan deposit before heading to Europe for the May Day holiday.
"I was afraid that the agency won't give back the money," he said, noting the agencies must make a fortune from the deposits put down by millions of travelers every year.
"I reckon it's unfair to tourists."
"Generally a local tourist has to pay a guarantee fund of about 50,000 yuan to Europe, and a bit less to Japan and South Korea," said Zhang Lei, an official with Spring International Travel Service.
Rich tourist generally pay a smaller deposit than those with little cash, as they are considered less of a risk to stay abroad illegally, Zhang said.