Police unit for tourism aims at better governance

The public security bureau of Sanya, Hainan province, South China, established the country's first police unit targeting irregularities in the local tourism industry on Saturday. Affiliated with the Sanya tourist center, the police team will promptly investigate any complaints by tourists and respond to tourists' requests for assistance in the event of any disputes. Comments:

Even though some popular tourist destinations such as Egypt and Thailand already have such specialized police units, the question of whether the model can be replicated elsewhere remains unanswered. In addition, setting a particular police office in the tourism department may not guarantee that it fulfills the intended purpose of improving the local tourism environment. What is wanted in some tourist spots is better law enforcement and better supervision.

Oct 12, Yangzi Evening News

A team of tourism police is only one small step toward properly maintaining order in popular tourist spots. Sanya's specialized unit may face challenges in terms of coordination and cooperation with other departments and it will have to demonstrate the wisdom and ability to balance the benefits brought by tourism to the locals with the rights of visitors.

Oct 12, Beijing News

The so-called tourism police will only be seen as a token gesture by the local authorities unless they dare to take on really tough cases. As for calling them tourism police, the significance of this is that it sends to the local community a warning of stricter governance.

Oct 12, Xi'an Evening News