Shenzhen Dapeng B&B industry training focuses on accommodation registration and protection of minors; lawyer interprets three key points of tourism industry compliance
On August 7, 2026, Nanlong Community in Nanao Subdistrict, Dapeng New District, Shenzhen, together with the Nanao Police Station, organized a specialized training session on tourism industry management for the heads of nearly a hundred homestays, hotels, and guesthouses in the area. The training was closely aligned with the peak summer tourism season, focusing on core areas such as guest accommodation registration, management of minors staying at facilities, and protection of guest privacy, with practical operational guidance provided through laws, regulations, and typical cases. This initiative is not only a concentrated empowerment for the local accommodation industry but also reflects the legal compliance challenges facing Shenzhen's coastal cultural tourism industry amid rapid development. As a lawyer deeply engaged in legal services in Shenzhen, I believe this event sends an important compliance signal to tourism industry operators—behind the shining cultural tourism brand, the prevention and control of legal risks must not be overlooked.
Legal Red Lines for Accommodation Registration: More Than Just a Form
Guest accommodation registration is the cornerstone of hotel management and the primary content of this training. According to Article 56 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, hotel staff who fail to register the names, types of identification documents, and numbers of guests staying at the hotel in accordance with the regulations shall be fined not less than 200 yuan but not more than 500 yuan. Furthermore, Article 6 of the Measures for the Public Security Administration of the Hotel Industry further requires that hotels must check guests' identification documents when receiving them for accommodation and register truthfully according to the prescribed items.
In practice, many homestay operators mistakenly believe that "scan-code registration" or "verbal inquiry" is sufficient to meet the requirements, but that is not the case. As a megacity with massive population mobility, Shenzhen has particularly strict enforcement standards by public security authorities for accommodation registration. In addition to basic information, the registration system must be connected to the public security network in real time to ensure accurate, complete, and timely information. If registration omissions lead to public security hazards, operators not only face administrative penalties, but may also bear civil compensation liability for failing to fulfill their safety guarantee obligations when infringement incidents occur.
The lawyer advised that homestays should establish a three-level verification process covering "front desk, guest rooms, and back office," conducting "person-ID matching" checks on arriving guests, while also regularly training staff to ensure standardized registration procedures. Especially during peak periods such as summer vacation, extra caution is needed to prevent operational oversights when temporarily adding personnel.
Minors Check-In: Mandatory Reporting and the "Five Musts" Requirements
Minors' check-in management is another focus of this training, and it is also a sensitive area of legal regulation in recent years. Article 59 of the Law on the Protection of Minors, revised and implemented in 2021, stipulates that when accommodating minors, lodging operators such as inns, hotels, and guesthouses must verify their identity information, ask about the contact information of their parents or other guardians, the identity and relationship of the persons staying with them, and strengthen security patrols. If suspicious circumstances are found, such as minors being injured, intoxicated, or taken to rooms, the police shall be reported immediately.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security has put forward "five musts" requirements for hotel operators: must verify the identity of minors checking in and register them truthfully; must ask for the contact information of the minors' parents or guardians and record it for future reference; must check the identities and relationships of co-tenants; must strengthen security patrols and visitor management; must immediately report suspicious situations to public security organs. Violators may, in accordance with Article 122 of the Minors Protection Law, be ordered to suspend operations for rectification, have their licenses revoked, and be fined up to 50,000 yuan.
As a popular destination for family trips, Shenzhen's Dapeng New District sees a high proportion of minors checking in during the summer vacation. If homestay operators neglect this obligation, they not only face administrative penalties but may also be held criminally liable if minors are harmed, due to their failure to fulfill protective responsibilities. Last year, in a district of Shenzhen, there was a case where a homestay failed to fulfill its reporting obligation, resulting in harm to a minor's rights, and the operator was ultimately prosecuted. Lawyers advise that homestays should establish dedicated ledgers for minors' check-ins and conduct scenario-based training for front desk staff to enhance sensitivity.
Passenger Privacy Protection: Dual Constraints of the Civil Code and Personal Information Protection
Passenger privacy protection is the third core of training and also a link in modern travel services that easily gives rise to disputes. According to Article 1032 of the Civil Code, natural persons enjoy the right to privacy, and no organization or individual may infringe upon others' privacy by means of prying, intrusion, disclosure, publicizing, or the like. As places providing accommodation services, homestays are obliged to keep confidential guests' check-in information, movement trajectories, and activities within the room.
In addition, the Personal Information Protection Law classifies passengers' names, ID numbers, and contact information as sensitive personal information, the processing of which requires a clear purpose and separate consent. When collecting guest information, homestays should follow the "minimum necessary" principle, must not collect beyond the scope, and must not use it for marketing or provide it to third parties without authorization. In practice, some homestays install cameras in public areas or use smart locks to collect movement data, which can easily cross legal red lines.
A lawyer has reminded that homestays should prominently inform guests of surveillance areas and the purpose of data use, and take encryption measures for stored data. In the event of a data breach, according to Article 66 of the Personal Information Protection Law, they may face fines of up to 50 million yuan or 5% of the previous year's turnover. In serious cases, criminal liability may also be pursued.
Police-Community Collaboration and Long-Term Compliance: Legal Protection for Homestay Operations
Nanlong Community's training adopted a "police-community collaboration" model, with police officers from the local police station explaining cases, which in itself is an effective practice of compliance governance. The homestay industry is characterized by numerous and scattered operators, whose legal literacy varies considerably. Relying on regular collaboration between the community and law enforcement agencies can promptly convey legal requirements to the front line.
For homestay operators, compliance should not be a perfunctory response to a training session, but rather integrated into daily operations. Specific recommendations include: first, establish internal compliance systems, detailing accommodation registration, minor protection, privacy management, and other matters into operating procedures; second, regularly conduct legal training for employees, especially before new employee onboarding and during the peak season; third, establish rapid communication channels with local police stations and communities in the jurisdiction, and consult promptly when encountering difficult issues.
Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm has long been focused on legal affairs in the cultural tourism industry of Shenzhen and has provided compliance review and dispute resolution services for multiple homestay clusters and hotel groups. We suggest that homestay operators may proactively invite legal counsel to participate in the establishment of internal systems, preventing operational risks at the source, so that the "business card" of coastal boutique accommodations is not only warm but also lawful.
The prosperity of the cultural tourism industry cannot be separated from the protection of the rule of law. The training in Dapeng New Area has set a compliance benchmark for Shenzhen's homestay industry. When every homestay operates in accordance with the law, Shenzhen's coastal cultural tourism brand will shine even brighter, and travelers' every pursuit of "poetry and the distant" will have solid legal safeguards.
