A Total of 1,543 Tourism Complaints Reported Last Year
Dissatisfaction with Shopping, Taxis, and Accommodation
Cases of Overcharging Also Reported
Foreign tourists visiting Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Unrelated to the article content. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
Last year, as the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea surged, complaints about tourism also increased significantly. The main types of inconveniences reported included shopping, taxis, and accommodation, with some cases complaining about "overcharging."
According to the "2024 Comprehensive Analysis Report on Tourism Complaints" published by the Korea Tourism Organization on the 15th, a total of 1,543 complaints were received at the Tourism Complaint Reception Center last year, marking a 71.1% increase compared to the previous year.
By country and region, complaints from foreigners accounted for 1,433 cases (92.9%), while domestic complaints were 110 cases (7.1%). Among these, the Greater China region (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) accounted for 1,022 cases (66.2%), making up the majority.
Although the number of complaints last year decreased in most countries and regions compared to 2019, before COVID-19, there was a significant increase in the Greater China region. The Korea Tourism Organization explained, "With the lifting of China's overseas travel restrictions in 2023, the demand for overseas travel by Chinese tourists surged by 128% compared to the previous year," adding, "This is believed to be due to a shift in Chinese tourism trends towards individual travel."
The main types of complaints were ▲shopping (398 cases), accounting for 25.8% of the total, followed by ▲taxis (309 cases), ▲accommodation (258 cases), ▲airport and aviation (165 cases), and ▲restaurants (98 cases) in that order.
The reasons for complaints related to 'shopping' were ▲price disputes (23.1%), ▲rudeness (22.6%), and ▲requests for refunds and product exchanges (14.6%).
Passengers are getting off a taxi near Seoul Station. This is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
Complaints related to 'taxis' included ▲unfair fare charges and refusal to use the meter (60.2%), ▲driver rudeness (10.4%), and ▲reckless or detour driving (8.7%). One Australian tourist stated, "I took a taxi from Incheon International Airport to a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul late at night, and paid 106,100 won due to the driver's detour."
Complaints related to accommodation increased by 81.7% compared to the previous year. The main issues were ▲poor facilities and hygiene management (34.5%), ▲reservation cancellations and penalties (24.4%), and ▲poor service (18.2%).
Regarding restaurants, complaints included ▲poor service (44.9%), ▲expensive food prices and poor price display (12.2%), and ▲unfair charges (11.2%). One Japanese tourist complained, "I ordered 53,000 won worth of takeout at a chicken restaurant, but was charged 553,000 won on my card."
The Korea Tourism Organization stated, "Tourism inconveniences occur most frequently during the peak tourism season (July to August). The public sector has operated a hotline for overcharging complaints during the vacation season and deployed foreign language interpreters to respond strongly," adding, "Continuous attention and measures are required to maintain the standard quality of tourism services on an ongoing basis."
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