On May 15, the Chinese Consulate General in Cebu issued a special safety reminder regarding the frequent occurrence of safety accidents in water-related tourism activities such as snorkeling and diving, clearly requiring tourists to pay attention to key matters including the provision of lifesaving equipment, real-time sea condition assessment, and avoiding entry into non-open sea areas. Although this reminder is aimed at outbound tourists, it essentially transmits overseas compliance pressure upstream along the outbound travel supply chain—particularly affecting various market entities in China that procure foreign-related tourism services. Companies involved in travel agency product design, destination management company selection, procurement of insurance and emergency plans, and outsourcing of bilingual safety training should pay close attention.

Event Overview

On May 15, the Chinese Consulate General in Cebu published the "Reminder on Strengthening Safety Precautions for Water-Related Tourism Activities" on its official website and social media platforms, pointing out that multiple incidents have recently occurred in the Cebu area of the Philippines involving Chinese citizens participating in activities such as snorkeling and diving, including drowning, hypoxia, and boating accidents; the reminder includes: qualified life jackets must be used, sea conditions on the day of departure must be assessed by professionals, entry into undeveloped sea areas or waters without rescue support is strictly prohibited, and operators must be qualified and provide supervision throughout the entire process. The notice did not mention the specific number of incidents, the time span involved, or the names of the organizations concerned, nor did it announce any mandatory regulatory measures or penalty mechanisms.

Which Sub-Sectors Are Affected

Outbound Travel Agencies（including tour operators and customized travel service providers）

As they are required to fulfill due diligence obligations toward overseas destination management companies, their procurement decisions will rely more heavily on whether such destination management companies have valid liability insurance, written emergency response plans, bilingual safety operation manuals, and internationally recognized certifications（such as ISO 21101）. The impact is reflected in longer product launch cycles, more frequent dynamic updates to supplier whitelists, and increased weight of risk control clauses in contracts.

Domestic Chinese Destination Management Companies and Overseas Tourism Service Suppliers

As directly affected parties, their service export capabilities face higher compliance thresholds. The impact is mainly reflected in the following: overseas buyers will conduct substantive checks during supplier comparison on the scope of insurance coverage（such as whether high-risk activities are included）, emergency response time commitments（such as a 15-minute golden rescue process）, retention of employees' bilingual safety training records, and whether third-party system certifications have been obtained.

Travel Insurance and Risk Management Service Providers

The demand structure for B-end products such as travel liability insurance, activity-specific insurance, and rescue coordination services is changing. The impact is reflected in the fact that buyers are paying more attention to whether policies explicitly cover specific activities such as snorkeling/diving, whether they are tied to qualified rescue institutions, and whether they support multilingual reporting and claims guidance, rather than merely emphasizing coverage amounts and rates.

Tourism Supply Chain Management and Compliance Consulting Institutions

For institutions providing services such as supplier audits, document compliance reviews, and certification guidance for outbound tourism enterprises, the focus of their work will shift toward a "verifiable chain of execution evidence". The impact is reflected in clients being more inclined to procure service modules that can provide deliverables such as on-site safety training video archives, sea condition assessment log templates, and ISO 21101 clause comparison tables.

What Key Points Should Relevant Companies or Practitioners Watch, and How Should They Respond at Present

Monitor Follow-Up Official Statements or Policy Changes

At present, this reminder is a consular safety notice and does not carry administrative mandatory force; however, it is necessary to continue tracking whether the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue supporting guidelines, or whether local tourism regulatory authorities in the Philippines will simultaneously strengthen law enforcement inspections—such developments will determine whether compliance requirements shift from "recommendations" to "preconditions for market access".

Pay Attention to Changes in Key Categories, Key Markets, or Key Business Links

The share of high-risk water-related activities such as snorkeling, diving, and island-hopping trips in products for popular destinations such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia is being reassessed; enterprises should prioritize sorting out the SKU list in existing routes that involve the above activities, identifying weak links that rely on uncertified small-vessel operations, lack fixed rescue stations, or do not have the capability to access real-time weather data.

Differentiate Between Policy Signals and Actual Business Implementation

This reminder currently does not set a certification validity period, does not designate a single certification standard（for example, ISO 21101 is only an example）, and does not require mandatory public disclosure of verification results; enterprises do not need to immediately replace all suppliers, but they should embed clauses such as "safety compliance self-declaration + random inspection rights" into newly signed/renewed contracts, and retain sign-in and assessment records of safety training from the last 6 months for inspection.

Make Advance Preparations in Procurement, Supply Chain, Communication, or Emergency Planning

It is recommended to launch the first round of compliance self-inspections for core destination management companies: confirm whether their insurance policies specify the types of covered activities and geographic scope; check whether emergency plans include Chinese-English bilingual versions and local rescue contact trees; verify whether at least 1 simulated drowning response drill has been completed within the past six months and whether video records have been retained; organize the above materials into a standardized "Supplier Safety Compliance Package" for buyer review.

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, this consular notice functions primarily as a risk signaling mechanism—not yet a regulatory enforcement tool. Analysis shows it reflects growing diplomatic attention to extraterritorial service quality spillovers, especially where Chinese outbound tourists are concentrated in high-risk activity segments. From an industry perspective, it is better understood as an early-stage compliance pressure point: it does not mandate new certifications, but reshapes procurement due diligence criteria and elevates documentation rigor in supplier management. The real impact lies less in immediate operational disruption, and more in the long-term recalibration of what constitutes ‘acceptable risk’ in cross-border tourism service contracting.

Conclusion: this reminder is not a sudden regulatory escalation, but rather a gradual manifestation of outbound travel compliance governance extending upstream from the end-consumer side to the supply chain. At present, it is more appropriate to understand it as a signal of "enhanced due diligence intensity", and its industry significance lies in pushing enterprises to transform safety compliance from contractual annex clauses into normalized supply chain management actions that are traceable, verifiable, and collaborative. The key to a rational response lies in distinguishing between "necessary preparation" and "overreaction", and focusing on making practical improvements in the links of existing business with the highest degree of risk exposure.

Source note:
Main source: the "Reminder on Strengthening Safety Precautions for Water-Related Tourism Activities" published by the official website and official social media accounts of the Chinese Consulate General in Cebu（May 15, 2024）.
Parts requiring continued observation: whether the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the National Immigration Administration will issue supporting operational guidelines on this matter; whether the Department of Tourism of the Philippines（DOT）will simultaneously update the detailed review rules for operating permits related to water-based activities.