Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Seoul City to crack down on illegal 'dumping tours'
A street in downtown Seoul's Myeong-dong shopping district is crowded with tourists, Aug. 18. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Lee Hyo-jin
As foreign tourists return to Seoul after three pandemic years, so is the illegal practice in the tourism industry known as "dumping tours," threatening to taint the reputation of Korea's capital city as a globally popular tourist destination.
These "dumping tours" refer to package tours where tourists are herded into stores and virtually forced to buy over-priced products such as cosmetics, nutritional supplements and duty free items.
Other than the forced shopping, their itinerary in Seoul consists mostly of tourist spots where entry is free. They have to pay extra if they would participate in “optional tour activities," even though the all-inclusive package tours guarantee visits to the city's major tourist sites.
These unfair practices often involve unqualified tourism interpreter guides called "tour conductors" ― foreign nationals without a valid guide license ― who are hired by domestic tour agencies. The main revenue sources of these unqualified guides are commissions from the shops.
Victims of "dumping tours" seem to be on the rise in recent months as local tourist agencies increasingly seek to capitalize on Chinese tourists after the Chinese government lifted its years-long ban on group travel to Korea in August.
Earlier this month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced stern measures on "low-priced dumping tours" that taint the city's reputation and cast a shadow on the tourism sector's post-pandemic recovery.
According to Seoul City, Sunday, city officials have conducted crackdowns across major tourist sites in Jung District on Oct. 12 and Jongno District on Oct. 26, during which they found one unqualified "tour conductor" and three “sitting guides" on the spot. Sitting guides refer to licensed guides who are hired to sit on the tour bus, instead of actually guiding the tourists, in case of a crackdown by officials.
The city officials will conduct another on-site inspection of tourist spots in Mapo District in the coming days and further inspections across shopping malls and duty free shops will take place without prior notice starting from November.
"The number of tourists visiting Seoul is expected increase toward the year end. We will continue making efforts to eradicate illegal practices to make sure that every tourist can enjoy their time here and return with only happy memories of Seoul," Kim Young-hwan, head of Seoul City's tour and sports bureau, said in a statement.