Chinese tourists shop at a Lotte duty-free store in central Seoul, South Korea, February 2, 2016. Photo by Reuters
South Korean authorities have vowed to crack down on cheap tour packages that push Chinese tourists to buy overpriced goods.
The move comes as South Korea seeks to attract Chinese visitors, who receive the largest share of incoming tourists. Korean weather reported.
In recent years, many Chinese tourists have been lured into buying extremely cheap tour packages, but their tour guides have always pushed them to buy overpriced products, such as cosmetics, nutritional supplements and duty-free items. THE Herald of Korea reported.
Among the approximately 3,100 Seoul tour packages sold on four major online platforms in China, 85 were suspected of promoting cheap tour packages aimed at Chinese tourists, according to THE Korea Times.
In order to address this issue, South Korean authorities said they are implementing strict preventive measures and responses against various unfair practices, including low-cost tour packages.
The Seoul government has requested cooperation from relevant agencies to prevent travel agencies from organizing such trips.
In addition, South Korea will also crack down on unqualified tour guides in popular foreign tourist destinations, including Myeongdong and Yeouido.
Before the pandemic, China was South Korea’s largest source of tourists, with 6 million arrivals in 2019.
