Beijing Internet Court has experienced a significant increase in online culture and tourism consumption disputes in recent years, with many involving hotel and flight ticket reservations or cancellations.
According to data released by the court on Wednesday, the number of such cases soared to 813 in 2024, up from 135 in 2022. Over 90 percent of these lawsuits were related to online information inquiries, bookings, and after-sales services.
The rise in cases is attributed to the rapid development of the culture and tourism market, as well as the increasing number of online users, said Sun Mingxi, a senior judge at the court, during a recent news conference.
Previous data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism revealed that during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, 474 million domestic trips were made nationwide, contributing a staggering 630 billion yuan ($86.5 billion) to the domestic culture and tourism market.
"An increasing number of consumers are turning to the internet to obtain service information and select products, benefiting from the convenience and diversity of online services," Sun said. "However, this trend has also led to a rise in complaints and disputes with service providers and online platforms."
She cited examples of consumers complaining that the online services they purchased did not match the actual content, with some even claiming that the prices of their online bookings were fraudulent.
She suggested consumers be more careful while purchasing online services and properly retain evidence of online transactions, calling on internet platforms to enhance the supervision of information content and streamline their dispute resolution processes by issuing notices or guidelines in cyberspace.
Furthermore, she urged culture and tourism service providers to fully, truthfully, and accurately disclose their service information, including details on when services are unavailable and under what circumstances refunds can be obtained. She also emphasized the importance of avoiding false content and misleading consumers.
