Customized tours have been gaining more favor with Chinese people. It has become an alternative option, aside from the traditional group or independent tours. Bearing in mind their consumers' specific needs, travel advisors help them design routes and arrange various affairs within their budgets.

Thanks to more enterprises operating within the business, residents living in third- and fourth-tier cities can also enjoy the services at lower prices. However, the industry still needs to establish a uniform standard and introduce an evaluation mechanism.

Selling personalized services should not become the cradle of legitimate loopholes. Today, the contracts drafted by each individual company reduce the number of clauses clarifying the liabilities of the companies and advisors and shift some of the responsibilities onto the consumers. Additionally, they fail to highlight the risks which are necessary to remind people of before they pay for the products.

Hence, authorities such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the State Administration for Market Regulation should investigate any problems in this regard and draw up a standard model for tour agencies to follow.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Beijing Youth Daily on April 5   

(Print Edition Title: Customized Tour)