Hong Kong - Riot police in Macau were called in to tackle a group of angry Chinese tourists who accused their tour guides of ripping them off, a news report said Wednesday. The clashes erupted after tourists were abandoned on a beach after complaining about being taken to too many shops and not enough sights, the South China Morning Post reported.
Tour guides and members of the tour party from China's Hebei province clashed and riot police were brought in when regular police were unable to contain the dispute on Tuesday evening.
Angry tourists surrounded police wearing helmets and carrying batons and shields before Chinese and Macau officials intervened and persuaded them to return to their hotels, the newspaper said.
The tourists, who had already visited Hong Kong, were due to return to China Wednesday but some planned to stay in Macau to file official complaints about their treatment.
Macau, a former Portuguese colony with 450,000 residents, has seen an explosion in visitor numbers from China since a series of new Las Vegas-owned casinos began opening in 2003.
It now draws up to 500,000 visitors a month from China, where casinos are illegal, and is challenging neighbouring Hong Kong as a regional destination.
