The Seoul Metropolitan Government is going to block so-called

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is going to block so-called “dumping tourism” products that degrade not only the image of Seoul tourism but also the city’s dignity.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that it will push for systematic measures based on the results of a survey on dumping tourism products distributed online.

Dumping tourism has been pointed out as a chronic problem that undermines the image of Seoul tourism. It is a low-cost and low-quality product that covers losses with shopping fees by attracting tourists below the normal price and focusing on visiting shopping centers.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul through the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased to 65.4% compared to before the incident, and dumping tourism is also somewhat quiet. However, the city believes that preemptive measures are needed as there is a possibility that it will increase sharply again when it enters the recovery phase.

According to the city’s screening of 100 of the 3,097 Seoul travel products sold on China’s four major online platforms (OTA), 85 were suspected of dumping tourism. Many of these products included shopping in the schedule, and the sale price was lower than the sum of airfare and stay expenses.

In particular, 45 of them have been confirmed to visit shopping centers six to eight times during their five-day schedule. In order to reduce costs, there were many cases where an unqualified guide was hired or a shopping fee was provided as a guide performance fee instead of wages.

Recently, it has been confirmed that illegal activities such as selling travel products through social networks (SNS) and conducting tours on their own without domestic travel agencies or tourism interpreters have emerged.

The city has decided to share the findings with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy. It plans to ask the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which is the management and supervision department of exclusive travel agencies, to restrict the distribution of products, while urging the Chinese embassy to take action under China-related laws.

Through the Tourism Ombudsman System, which expanded and reorganized the Tourism Illegal Reporting Center, it will investigate and crack down on dumping tourism and various illegal and unfair activities. Unlike what has been reported and processed so far, the tourism ombudsman plans to conduct preliminary monitoring and take charge of mediation and arbitration.

Kim Young-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “Dumping tourism and other acts that undermine the tourism order can lower the satisfaction of tourists and undermine the attractiveness of Seoul tourism, which has been on a difficult recovery path. We will do our best to cooperate with the tourism industry and related organizations to eradicate illegal practices and establish a fair tourism ecosystem.”