Foreign tours take tourists shopping too much!

According to the Korea Herald on September 28, the Seoul government - South Korea hired a number of foreign citizens to act as tourists in 7 cheap package tours, 3 sold in China and 4 sold in Vietnam, to check the quality of the programs.

Inspectors focus on cheap tour packages

Most tour packages focus more on shopping than sightseeing, which Seoul travel agents say prevents visitors from enjoying the history and culture of the South Korean capital.

Each tour includes four to eight visits to local shopping malls, many of which do not have a clear origin or production date. In contrast to the packed shopping schedule, the tours are brief and often cancelled.

Du khách Việt tham quan điểm mua nhân sâm ở Hàn Quốc Ảnh: LAM GIANG — Vietnamese tourists visit a ginseng shopping spot in Korea. Photo: LAM GIANG

The Seoul government stressed that not all tours are of such low quality. The special inspection focused on some low-cost tours.

Shopping tours are one of the popular products deployed by many Vietnamese travel companies when taking tourists to Korea and China. However, due to low prices, some shopping tours have affected the tourist experience when tourists have to visit too many shopping spots in the itinerary.

Having gone on two tours to China in 2024, Mr. Quoc Ngoc (residing in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) commented that the shopping program was a bit too much compared to the original schedule. Last April, seeing that the price of the 6-day, 5-night Zhangjiajie - Phoenix Ancient Town (Hunan Province - China) tour was not more than 10 million VND, he signed up with a group of friends because compared to this price, it was much cheaper than tours to the northern provinces of Vietnam, even equal to tours to some Southeast Asian countries.

Normally, a tour to China with a similar itinerary to the one Mr. Ngoc registered for costs 15-17 million VND. "However, each destination has information about the products, accompanying services, and the products introduced to tourists have over-advertised uses. In the end, the total cost of my tour was double the original package price," Mr. Ngoc said.

Clear information is needed for tourists before purchasing foreign tours.

Having just gone on a package tour to Korea with her family in early September 2024 for 13 million VND/person for a 4-day, 4-night itinerary, Ms. Bich Thanh (living in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) said that right from the beginning of registration, she saw that the tour had many shopping spots.

Ms. Thanh recalled: "When I asked, the staff replied that there were about 4 shopping places for ginseng, cosmetics, various types of kimchi, seaweed, and red pine essential oil. The purchase was voluntary, not forced, so I agreed. If we didn't shop but just went sightseeing, the tour price would be about 18-20 million VND/person for a similar itinerary."

Mr. Tran Thanh Vu, General Director of Vinagroup Tourism Company, said that the advantage of tours with many shopping spots is that the price is lower than normal tours, thanks to the support from shopping spots. The tour schedule still ensures famous, typical, traditional destinations...

To ensure tour quality, travel companies need to clearly publicize the sightseeing and shopping spots in the program so that customers can understand and make appropriate choices. "The key is not to force customers to shop at these places," Mr. Tran Thanh Vu emphasized.

According to Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, customers are carefully advised about the tour schedule including shopping spots when registering for the tour. Customers have full rights to decide whether to shop or not. The travel agency is ready to support customers in exchanging, returning goods, tax refund procedures and shipping to Vietnam.

"Travel businesses need to work with reputable retail partners and shopping malls to ensure product quality and tourists' shopping experience. This is especially important in China, where it is necessary to strictly control the source of goods to avoid counterfeit and fake goods," Ms. Van Khanh commented.

Shopping tours are not just purely shopping activities but need to be combined with cultural experiences, cuisine , and sightseeing to enrich the journey. Shopping products are all associated with local cultural experiences such as Korean ginseng and famous Suzhou silk.

Do not add shopping points without permission.

Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Marketing Director of Saigontourist Travel Services Company, said that shopping spots in foreign tour programs should only be arranged at a minimum level and must be announced to customers in advance; tour guides or local partners should not arbitrarily add shopping spots to the program.

With Saigontourist Travel, shopping spots in Korea including duty-free shops, famous herbal medicine stores, products with clear origins... will be prioritized in the tour schedule.

T. Phuong