Key facts
- Chinese regulators summoned seven major online travel service providers.
- Trip.com and Meituan were among the companies summoned.
- The regulators cited deceptive train ticket sales practices and data privacy violations.
- Accusations include fake ticket acceleration fees and improper harvesting of personal information.
Chinese regulators have summoned seven major online travel service providers, including Trip.com and Meituan, to address deceptive train ticket sales practices and data privacy violations. The State Administration for Market Regulation, along with cyberspace and railway authorities, held talks with the companies on Thursday.
Platforms targeted included Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd., Qunar, Fliggy, Suanya.com, and Gao Tie Guan Jia. Regulators accused these companies of aggressively marketing fake ticket acceleration fees, encouraging passengers to book mismatched travel routes, and improperly harvesting personal information.