SAMR and Ministry of Culture and Tourism Hold Administrative Guidance Meeting for Online Hotel Book…
On Sept 15, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), together with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, held an administrative guidance meeting for the online hotel booking platform services industry, directing platform companies to fulfill compliance responsibilities and prevent and resolve industry competition risks. The meeting required platforms to strictly comply with the Anti-Monopoly Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law, E-Commerce Law and Tourism Law, learn from cases, self-inspect, and guard against exclusive cooperation, 'lowest price across the entire internet' and other 'involution' issues and competition risks, and to build long-term compliance mechanisms. Heads o…
Impact and considerations
Regulators explicitly flagged exclusive cooperation and 'lowest price across the entire internet' as competition risks, meaning online hotel booking platforms and hotels or TMCs relying on platform distribution may need to revisit pricing and channel compliance arrangements as competition rules potentially tighten.
Key points
- On Sept 15, SAMR, together with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, held an administrative guidance meeting for the online hotel booking platform services industry.
- The meeting required platform companies to strictly comply with the Anti-Monopoly Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law, E-Commerce Law and Tourism Law.
- The meeting specifically required guarding against exclusive cooperation, 'lowest price across the entire internet' and other 'involution' issues and competition risks.
- The meeting required platforms to strengthen compliance awareness, build long-term compliance mechanisms and foster a market order of quality pricing and healthy competition.
- Heads of Meituan, Douyin, JD.com, Ctrip, Tongcheng and Fliggy, as well as market regulators from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, attended.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- 中国旅游新闻网
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 15 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Page published
- 16 Sept 2026, 00:07
- Last updated
- 15 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Original links
- China Tourism News：市场监管总局会同文化和旅游部召开在线酒店预订平台服务行业行政指导会-中国旅游新闻网Document (opens in a new tab)Primary source · zh · Published 15 Sept 2026, 08:00