Plans to Conduct Inspections Amid Signs of Ticket Scalping and Overcharging
Ahead of the Busan Fireworks Festival, controversies such as scalping and price gouging have emerged at some accommodations, prompting the Busan city government to plan inspections.
On the 28th, numerous posts selling Busan Fireworks Festival tickets were spotted on secondhand trading platforms. The official price for R-seat tickets sold by the Busan Cultural Tourism Festival Organizing Committee is 100,000 KRW, but some tickets are being resold at prices above the official rate.
The R-seat is a seat where the organizers set up tables and chairs at Gwangalli Beach, the main venue of the Busan Fireworks Festival. One seller was offering two seats at double the normal price, 400,000 KRW.
Busan Fireworks Festival [Image source=Busan Culture and Tourism Festival Organizing Committee website]
Meanwhile, accommodation fees have also surged sharply. The daily lodging fees at shared accommodations around Gwangalli Beach approached 400,000 to 900,000 KRW. Considering that the usual weekend lodging fee in the area is around 200,000 KRW, this represents an increase of up to four times. On secondhand trading platforms, hotel accommodation vouchers worth hundreds of thousands of KRW are also being traded.
The price of 'yacht tours' that allow viewing the fireworks festival from the sea has also risen accordingly. For weekend group tour packages, the usual price per person is around 20,000 to 30,000 KRW, but on the day of the fireworks festival, prices are being traded at 100,000 to 200,000 KRW.
In particular, the city is making every effort to eradicate 'price gouging.' This is because tourists who experience unreasonable services and prices for food, lodging, and other services at the event site may be less likely to visit the area again.
The city plans to conduct inspections of accommodations throughout Busan from today until November 8 in cooperation with the organizing committee. Especially in Suyeong, Nam, and Haeundae districts near Gwangalli Beach, where the festival is held, more intensive inspections will be carried out through communication with accommodation industry groups.
The city officials told the media, "Even if higher prices than usual are charged, if the amount is posted in advance to inform consumers and sold accordingly, there is no legal basis for crackdowns," but added, "We will persuade merchants to prevent price gouging for the sake of the entire Busan tourism industry."
The Busan Fireworks Festival will be held on November 9 at Gwangalli Beach.
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