Mainland tour groups put plans on hold Operators say they are unsure of Sars guidelines.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Chow Chung-yan

Today's long-awaited return of organised tours from the mainland to Hong Kong is mired in confusion, and a delay looks certain because agreement cannot be reached on how to treat visitors found infected with Sars.

Tens of thousands of visitors from Guangdong were expected to visit Hong Kong today for the first time since the central government suspended all Hong Kong tours on April 26 following the Sars outbreak. The sight of mainland tour buses streaming in again was being touted as a morale boost for the Hong Kong tourism industry, which was hit hard by the outbreak.

But celebrations were being put on hold yesterday as it emerged that the tours probably will not start arriving until the end of the week, perhaps Thursday.

Guangdong China Travel Service, the biggest Hong Kong tour operator on the mainland, said it had already informed its tour members trips would be delayed.

The company's vice-general manager, Shi Dongxiong, said on Cable TV that the delay had been caused by the Hong Kong authorities' failure to provide clear guidance on how visitors infected with Sars would be treated. As a result, his company had been advised by Guangdong authorities not to send any tours across until Thursday. Mr Shi urged the Hong Kong government to follow the example of Macau, where the government said it would pay for treatment and quarantine costs in any case of a visitor coming down with Sars.