Seoul to flush out 'dumping' tours that involve forced shopping, little culture

The Seoul city government will take action against "dumping" tourism following a recent investigation that detected packages with forced spending and excessive fees.

A group of Chinese tourists arrive at Incheon International Airport. [YONHAP]

Recent undercover investigations by the Seoul Metropolitan Government have revealed that some travel agencies are engaging in fraudulent practices, including forcing tourists to stay in shopping centers until they make a purchase and requiring them to spend free time in hotels with no alternative plans when outings are canceled.

The city announced on Thursday that it is taking action against travel agencies that offer tours with excessive charges that illegally "dump" travelers into shopping areas and force them to make purchases. Such tours are low-cost, low-quality packages offered at below-average prices by travel agencies that later recoup incurred costs by taking groups to retail venues the agencies have under-the-table agreements with to generate sales.

Seoul said that it plans to partner with the central government and the Chinese Embassy to crack down on the illegal dumping tours in response to a pilot undercover inspection of tour programs targeting Chinese and Vietnamese tourists, who constitute a significant portion of foreign visitors. The inspection focused on three programs for Chinese tourists and four programs for Vietnamese tourists, with agents posing as foreign visitors.

Undercover agents reported that the tour programs included excessive shopping, with tourists being taken to four to eight malls, leaving little time for sightseeing or cultural experiences, which led to numerous complaints. Grievances extended to the questionable quality of the products purchased, which ranged from health supplements to duty-free items and cosmetics that often lacked origin or manufacturing date information.

The agents also noted a significant difference in tour guides' attitudes based on tourists' spending and were persistent in recommending products, even during bus rides, to allegedly meet sales quotas. In some cases, guides restricted tourists from leaving shopping centers for extended periods, only allowing them to depart after a purchase was made.

The undercover agents also reported that the time spent at tourist attractions was extremely short, merely enough for a quick look. Due to weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances, most of the itinerary was not followed as planned. They also pointed out that there were instances where certain excursions were canceled without prior notice and no alternative plans were offered, leaving tourists on their own at their hotels.

While the city government acknowledged that the pilot study was conducted on a select group of low-cost tour packages and cannot be generalized to all such programs, it stressed its commitment to taking strong action against practices that disrupt the tourism ecosystem.

The city plans to share the findings of this investigation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as with embassies to prevent the spread of such programs. If necessary, legal action, including reporting to the police, will be taken.

Tourists crowd a duty-free shopping mall in Seoul. [YONHAP]

“As the number of tourists encountering illegal tour programs and unfair treatment by travel agencies increases, it's crucial to implement appropriate measures to prevent such practices. These actions are essential to protect Seoul's reputation” said a spokesperson for the metropolitan government.

Seoul also plans to conduct regular quality inspections, expanding the scope of inspections and increasing the number of inspectors with the goal of raising awareness about low-quality dumping tours within the tourism industry and promoting a fair industry.

The investigation coincides a post-pandemic rebound in tourism. The number of inbound tourists who visited Seoul from January to July reached 7.32 million, a 93.2 percent recovery from the same period in 2019. Notably, Chinese tourists, whose recovery had been somewhat slower, reached an accumulated number of 2.64 million by July, indicating an 81.5 percent recovery from 2019.

“As the scorching summer has passed and the weather becomes more suitable for travel, we need to focus on the basics of tourism to create a positive image of Seoul. We will strictly respond to illegal practices that disrupt the tourism order and upgrade the quality of tourism to make Seoul a city that people want to visit and revisit,” said Kim Young-hwan, the director general of the Tourism and Sports Bureau at the city government.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]