South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced
revisions to guidelines for travel agencies aimed at attracting Chinese
tour groups while eliminating "dumping tours”.
The new regulations, which took effect on 3 July 2024, target
practices where agencies offer unreasonably low-priced tours that rely
on excessive shopping activities and vendor commissions for profit.
The ministry plans to take administrative action against agencies
violating the new guidelines, specifically targeting "zero-fee tours"
and those who coerce tour groups into shopping or fail to pay legitimate
costs to tour interpreters.
In May, a South Korean travel agency was suspended for coercing
Chinese tour groups into shopping, marking the first such suspension by
the government for this practice.
This move comes as Chinese tourism to South Korea rebounds strongly.
In the first quarter of 2024, Chinese visitors reached 1.01 million,
ranking first among inbound travellers. By June, the number of Chinese
tourists is estimated to have surpassed 2023's total of two million,
representing 30% of all inbound tourists during that period.
The Korea Times reports that the proportion of Chinese tourists
entering on group tour visas has approached 12%, comparable to
pre-pandemic levels in 2019.