Sanya, a coastal resort city in Hainan province, has established a special police force targeting irregularities in the tourism industry.

The move came after a series of scandals elsewhere in China were exposed by the media during the National Day holiday from Oct 1 to 7.

A tourist's complaint of being overcharged for a seafood dinner at a restaurant in Qingdao, Shandong province, triggered public concerns.

The tourist was asked to pay 1,520 yuan ($240) for a dish of prawns.

He had been assured by a waitress while ordering that the price was 38 yuan for the dish, but was later told that the price was per prawn.

It was not an isolated case. Scandals have been reported from time to time in Sanya by media for the past decade, but tourists had nowhere to complain.

Over the years, this has resulted in a loss of trust, which has affected the resort's development.

The newly founded tourism police unit, the first of its kind in the country, will be in charge of tourists' security and safety.

The unit was first proposed in November last year by the Sanya government, which went on to form the team a month ago. Twenty-two tourist police officers now have responsibility for security and maintaining order in the tourist sector in Sanya.

Zhang Qi (L2), Party chief of Sanya city, Hainan province, attends the launching ceremony of a tourism police unit in the city on Oct 10. [Photo by Luo Jia / Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Tourists visiting Sanya can ask the police for help if they have been the victims of fraud, have discovered their guide is unlicensed, have been offered tickets to tourist attractions at black market prices or for other tourism-related crimes.

The team is in charge of supervision and inspection of security at tourist attractions, as well as providing suggestions for improvements.

More than 30 cases involving crimes against tourists have been investigated since the team formed, and officers have arrested 32 offenders. Thirty people have been punished with detention and paid a total of 5,000 yuan in fines in the past month.

The first tourism police unit nationwide is established in Sanya, South China’s Hainan province, on Oct 10. [Photo by Qiu Shui / Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The tourist police unit is also expected to help to establish a mechanism for institutions and businesses to work together in developing Sanya's tourist industry.

Yang Zhekun, professor of Hainan tourism research and director of the Hainan Tourism Research Institute of Hainan Career Technology College, said that the police team demonstrates the Sanya government's determination to build the city into an international tourist city.

It will help the city further improve tourism while benefiting tourists and setting an example for other tourist destinations, he said.