China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

SPC Releases Typical Cases on Tourism Disputes

Tue, 26 Nov 2024
Categories: China Legal Trends

On 30 Sept. 2024, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released five typical cases of tourism disputes, aiming to guide courts at all levels in preventing and resolving tourism disputes and protecting tourists’ legitimate rights and interests.

This set of cases involves common tourism disputes, such as health rights disputes caused by wild animal attacks and disputes over tourism operators’ failure to fulfill their safety protection duties.

For instance, in Case No. 1, “Zhang v. Mount Emei Management Committee”, visitor Zhang was scratched by monkeys while visiting Mount Emei Scenic Area in Sichuan province, as he ignored safety warnings to keep a safe distance from the animals and entered a monkey gathering area. After receiving first aid from the Mount Emei Management Committee, Zhang contacted the Sichuan Mount Emei Court’s tourism dispute hotline and demanded compensation from the committee. The court arrived on the scene and mediated between the parties.

The court held that, under Chinese law, operators and managers of public places are required to ensure safety within a reasonable scope. Considering that the scenic area manager did not fully meet its safety obligations and that Zhang did not fully fulfill the corresponding duty of care, and given that Zhang only needed vaccination and did not have a disability subject to a certain statutory grade, the court ordered the Mount Emei Management Committee to compensate Zhang CNY 1,000 for the vaccination costs.

 

 

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

Save as PDF

You might also like

China Enacts Landmark Private Economy Promotion Law

China enacted its landmark first Private Economy Promotion Law, effective May 20, 2025, to guarantee fair competition, streamline market access via a unified negative list, and bolster private enterprises through financing, innovation, and service support.

China Strengthens Criminal IP Protection with New Rules

In April 2025, China’s top court and procuratorate jointly issued a new judicial interpretation to clarify standards for handling criminal intellectual property infringement cases, aiming to strengthen IP protection, particularly in the service sector.

SPC’s 2024 Typical IP Cases Include AI Face-Swap Ruling

In April 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court released eight typical IP cases, highlighting judicial responses to emerging issues in AI, gaming, and biotech, including a landmark ruling on AI face-swapping copyright infringement.

China Eases Tax Refunds to Boost Inbound Tourist Spending

In 2025, China has lowered its departure tax refund threshold from 500 RMB to 200 RMB and doubled cash refund limits to 20,000 RMB while expanding eligible stores and streamlining processes, aiming to boost inbound tourism spending and promote Chinese products.

Chinese Courts Bolster Pregnant Workers' Rights Protection

In April 2025, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Supreme People's Court released typical labor dispute cases emphasizing stronger protection of pregnant employees' rights, including a case where unlawful job reassignment and salary reduction were ruled illegal.