NEWS

Seoul’s Tourist Issue Assistance Center aims to eradicate tourist scams

Date 2023-12-18 Writer seoulsolution
  • Tourist Issue Assistance Center to receive reports for illegal acts such as forcing tourists to shop, arbitrary changing tour schedules, and employing unqualified tour guides
  • Intensive investigation and crackdown to be conducted on reported cases, followed by legal action according to relevant laws
  • Efforts to eradicate illegal practices and create a high quality tourism environment

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced the newly established Tourist Issue Assistance Center for citizens and tourists to file reports for tourist scams, such as attracting tourists with travel packages at lower prices than regular prices and making up for the losses by taking commissions from shopping malls after leading tours that focus only on these malls, thereby reducing the satisfaction of tourists.

Citizens and tourists who have been victims of illegal tourism-related activities while traveling in Seoul, such as forced shopping, arbitrary schedule changes, and unregistered tour guides, or who have witnessed illegal activities, can file a report to the Tourist Issue Assistance Center by phone (+82-2-1800-9008) or the official website (tiac.or.kr).

The city announced that it will improve the quality of tourism by creating a healthy tourism environment to attract 30 million annual tourists.