Pay attention to summer vacation travel： don’t panic and ask for help when you are in trouble.
Photo by Wang Jianmin (People’s Vision)
If you open the column,
Summer is coming, at the peak of tourism. The top priority of traveling is safety. How to ensure safety in different types of tourism? What should I do if I am in distress? Starting from today, this edition launched a series of reports on "Paying attention to summer tourism", introducing the overall situation of tourism safety and matters needing attention, and paying attention to three popular tourism forms, namely, scenic spot tour, go on road trip tour and overseas tour, and talking about the current situation and countermeasures.
In summer, the weather is changeable, and tourism safety incidents occur from time to time, reminding tourists that they should take necessary safety precautions when traveling.
What preparations should I make before traveling? When traveling, what should you pay attention to in order to have a safe and enjoyable time?
Pay attention to water sports
Avoid blind exploration
Li Wei from Changsha, Hunan, took her children to travel to Xiangxi. Instead of choosing a popular scenic spot, their family went to a place that is not famous and has not undergone much commercial development to climb the mountain.
Before leaving, wei li specially checked the local weather forecast, suggesting that there was moderate to heavy rain. He didn’t pay too much attention to it, and he thought of a place to improvise.
When the Li Wei family arrived at the foot of the scenic spot, light rain began to float in the sky. Beside, many tourists chose to continue climbing the mountain, while Li Wei decided to leave the scenic spot with his children and find a place to live. "Fortunately, there was no luck at that time. The next day, I heard local residents say that tourists who climbed the mountain yesterday were trapped on the mountainside for several hours, and it was particularly dangerous to go down in the dark in the middle of the night. " Wei li said.
Zhan Dongmei, an assistant researcher in china tourism academy, said that with the development of China’s tourism market, the number of tourists is increasing, and the safety incidents in tourism are also on the rise. Tourism safety has gradually become the focus of increasing attention from all walks of life. Especially in summer, the tourist season, the weather, special play items and other reasons increase the safety risks. Water-playing projects, such as rafting, water parks and trips to islands and lakes, have become the hardest hit areas that have caused safety accidents. Drowning and water traffic accidents are the main factors that cause tourists’ death and injury.
Outdoor activities tourism projects, such as hiking, hot air balloon sightseeing, paragliding, etc., also have different degrees of security risks. In addition, due to the differences in climate and geographical environment, the level of tourism infrastructure and sudden natural disasters, tourists are also at risk in travel and accommodation.
"Tourism safety risks can generally be divided into several categories." Zeng Bowei, an associate professor at the School of Tourism of Beijing Union University, said. First of all, normal visits can also be risky. For example, there are some hidden dangers in scenic spots with water and mountains, and warning signs and tips should be set up. If tourists pay attention to the risk warning information, it is easier to avoid such risks. In another case, tourists take part in adventure activities, such as outdoor sports and extreme sports planned by informal organizations, including extreme sports at high altitude, rock climbing or water sports, which are more risky. Especially for beginners, it is easy to have security problems.
Do a good job of risk warning
Strengthen the investigation of hidden dangers
Zhan Dongmei believes that tourism has strong comprehensiveness, wide coverage and long industrial chain, involving transportation, quality inspection, food, health, fire protection, meteorology, public security, entry and exit control and other fields. Problems in any link may damage the safety of tourists’ lives and property.
With the rapid expansion of the scale of the tourism market, tourists’ travel modes are increasingly diversified, the tourism industry chain is continuously extended, the domestic and international environment is increasingly diversified and complex, and the responsibility system for tourism safety supervision is not yet perfect. The probability of tourists encountering various safety risks during their travel is increasing day by day, and the pressure on tourism safety protection is increasing.
Zhan Dongmei said that the tourism authorities should do a good job in risk warning and management. Tourism business units should strengthen the ability of risk monitoring and early warning, establish an all-round and all-time risk monitoring and early warning system, monitor tourism risks in real time, and issue risk early warning to places and regions with excessive risks; Tourism organizations should actively do a good job in risk assessment and reminder, as well as publicity and education of tourism safety knowledge.
"Relevant departments have the responsibility to give necessary tips on risks, and to conduct timely investigations on the safety of tourist facilities in scenic spots." Zeng Bowei said that the tourism safety problems in some scenic spots are due to the safety problems of tourism facilities themselves. For such problems, we can eliminate hidden dangers in time by strengthening investigation. For tourism enterprises, especially operators, relevant departments should improve the rules and regulations of safety management. For example, when a travel agency organizes a group, it is necessary to give safety education to the guests in advance and popularize some necessary self-help methods and measures. Safety is the lifeline of the tourism industry. Only when the supervision is in place, the responsibility is not left blank, and the "safety belt" of tourism is tightened with strict systems and solid actions, can the unknown risk factor be minimized.
"Different tourism safety incidents have completely different definitions of responsibilities and need to be subdivided." Zeng Bowei said that if tourists are in distress while visiting the scenic spot, and the scenic spot has done the necessary warning or preventive measures, then the personal responsibility of tourists will be more. For example, the scenic spot heightens the protective fence in the dangerous area and sets up tips, but tourists have to climb regardless of the tips. The responsibility of this situation is more obvious.
Draw up a safety strategy
Buy supplementary insurance
Han Yuling, vice president of China Tourism Talent Development Research Institute, believes that many reasons for frequent tourism safety accidents are due to tourists’ lack of safety awareness.
"For example, in Beijing, some donkey friends like hiking in Fenghuangling Scenic Area, and people often get lost." Han Yuling said, "In order to reduce risks, the Beijing Tourism Commission specially installed safety light poles along the way that can emit light at night, charge mobile phones and have GPS positioning function to help lost tourists. However, many people feel that it is not exciting enough, so they choose to go further and go to the area where the safety light pole can’t reach. Some people think that the pursuit of excitement and attention to safety during the journey are mutually exclusive and cannot have both. But in fact, without security, how can we enjoy and experience the journey better? "
"Before traveling, it is best to draw up a safety strategy." Zhan Dongmei said that free travellers should properly understand the natural environment and social factors of their destinations, guard against potential safety hazards caused by extreme weather, and master the methods of seeking help in emergencies. For tourists who take part in tour groups, travel agencies usually introduce safety precautions before they leave, so they should listen carefully. Passengers traveling abroad should fully consider natural disasters, social security and other factors, and pay attention to the travel safety tips of embassies and consulates and tourism authorities in time.
Visitors should also enhance their awareness of safety and details. It is reported that there was a sudden braking of amusement facilities in Tianjin Happy Valley. After inspection, it was found that small objects such as hairpins and chewing gum dropped from tourists triggered the safety device. In fact, before taking the amusement facilities, the staff will explain the safety precautions, while some tourists are lucky, eager to save trouble and don’t pay attention to it. In the process of playing, we should always beware of casual little moves and small things that affect the safety of ourselves and others.
"If you are in distress during the trip, don’t panic. Asking for help is also skillful. " Zhan Dongmei said that after the distress, you should ask professional rescuers for help at the first time. If you can’t know the direction and the location of the distress, you must tell the rescuers as much information as possible about the terrain characteristics. If it’s getting late, it’s best to stay where you are and reduce other dangers during the journey. Call for help from the outside world by mobile phone, preferably by SMS, and turn it on every half hour to save the power of the mobile phone. When using a life-saving whistle for help, a distress signal should be issued according to the internationally accepted "six whistles per minute". When necessary, some branches or other combustible materials can be collected. After lighting, some wet branches or grass can be added to make it raise smoke and help rescuers determine the location.
Zeng Bowei said that buying insurance is becoming the choice of more and more tourists. Tourists should fully estimate the risks they may face when traveling, find out the insurance that suits them, and then choose an insurance company. Many people confuse travel agency liability insurance and travel accident insurance: travel agency liability insurance, which is required by the national tourism administration to insure passengers, and many cases are not covered by this insurance. When consumers travel, it is best to supplement their own travel accident insurance to add a layer of protection for travel.