People enjoy flowers at the Seoul Rose Festival in Seoul, South Korea, May 19, 2024. The festival is running from May 18 to 25. Photo: Xinhua

South Korea announced on Sunday that it will revise regulations to eliminate "dumping tours" in a bid to attract Chinese tour groups. Analysts said that such measures are beneficial for enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples, and it is hoped that South Korea will continue to adopt facilitating policies that promote bilateral people-to-people exchanges.

According to The Korea Times, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has revised the guidelines for travel agencies in a bid to attract Chinese tour groups, and will take administrative measures against those who violate regulations in order to eliminate "dumping tours," which have been identified as a major cause of tourist complaints.

Such tours refer to practices where travel agencies attract tourists with unreasonably low prices and profit by including nonstop shopping activities, earning commissions from vendors along the way, said the report. The revision took effect on Monday.

Specifically, the ministry will take measures against the so-called "zero-fee tours," as well as those who coerce tour groups into shopping and fail to pay legitimate costs to tour interpreters.

According to media reports, the number of Chinese tourists to South Korea during the first quarter of 2024 reached 1.01 million, ranking first in inbound travelers among all nations. 

As of June, the number of Chinese visitors to South Korea is estimated to have surpassed last year's total of two million. This figure represents 30 percent of all inbound tourists to the country during that period, said The Korea Times. In particular, the proportion of Chinese tourists entering the country on group tour visas exceeded 10 percent and approached 12 percent, a level comparable to pre-pandemic figures from 2019.

The tourism industry in South Korea makes up a vital part of the country's economy, playing a crucial role in driving domestic consumer industries. As such, South Korea has consistently attached great importance to the development and growth of its tourism sector, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

It's encouraging to see that South Korea is making policy adjustments to attract more Chinese tourists, which is necessary for fostering mutual understanding between people from the two countries, Lü said.

The expert noted that there were previously rich people-to-people exchanges between China and South Korea. However, in recent years, some changes in South Korean foreign policy and inappropriate remarks made by Seoul toward Beijing have had a certain impact on Chinese tourists traveling to South Korea, the expert said.

"It's hoped that South Korea can size up the situation and take further steps to promote cultural communications and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," Lü said.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, a travel agency in South Korea was suspended in May for coercing Chinese tour groups into shopping while visiting the country. It was the first time the South Korean government suspended a travel agency's operations due to such practices.