On September 15, the State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, convened an administrative guidance meeting for the online hotel booking platform service industry. The session was designed to steer platform companies within the sector toward robust compliance with their responsibilities, mitigate competitive risks, and safeguard a well-ordered tourism market environment.

The meeting underscored that fair competition serves as the legal cornerstone of a market economy, while compliant operations function as the lifeline for corporate growth. In recent years, China's online hotel booking platform sector has expanded rapidly, playing a constructive role in enriching daily life and boosting tourism consumption. Yet, the associated competitive risks remain a pressing concern that cannot be overlooked.

As pivotal players in the industry, online hotel booking platform enterprises must firmly adhere to legal boundaries, uphold fair competition principles, strengthen compliance management, and foster the sector's standardized and sound advancement. The meeting urged all platform companies to strictly observe provisions under laws including the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, the E-Commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Tourism Law of the People's Republic of China. Enterprises were called upon to treat past cases as cautionary lessons, conduct self-inspections, and proactively prevent and address "involution" issues and competitive hazards such as exclusive partnerships and "lowest price across the entire network" tactics.

Additionally, the meeting highlighted the necessity of reinforcing compliance awareness, solidifying the baseline for lawful operations and secure growth, and instituting robust long-term compliance mechanisms. These steps aim to jointly cultivate a market order characterized by superior quality, reasonable pricing, and healthy rivalry, while effectively safeguarding consumer rights and fostering win-win outcomes for all stakeholders within the platform ecosystem. Executives from major platforms including Meituan, Douyin, JD.com, Ctrip, Tongcheng, and Fliggy attended the meeting, alongside relevant market regulation officials from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces.