ROK's crackdown on poor tourism service applauded

The strong stance of the South Korean government against low-quality tour service providers that target Chinese visitors has earned praise from China's tourism sector.

The response followed the decision by Seoul to punish 68 tour agencies that had targeted Chinese tourists with cheap but low-quality package holidays. The tour companies will now be barred from handling Chinese travelers. The move came as a result of a biennial review of 170 agencies that served the China market with group tours, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the Republic of Korea.

Most of the banned agencies were found to have provided excessively cheap package holidays that featured compulsory shopping sessions and employed inexperienced tour guides, the ministry said.