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.

The move will ensure higher standards and help cement South Korea's status as one of the top overseas destinations for Chinese tourists, said Jiang Yiyi, a researcher with the China Tourism Academy.

"It's positive action to improve the image of South Korean tourism to better appeal to Chinese people," said Jiang. "The South Korean authorities have sensed the importance of Chinese travelers as the biggest consuming group in its tourism market."

The number of Chinese travelers visiting South Korea in 2015 fell slightly - by 2.3 percent - in comparison to 2014. Despite this, the destination was still very popular and Chinese visitors reached 5.98 million in 2015 - a massive 45 percent of the country's inbound tourism market, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

The spectacle of 4,500 Chinese visitors enjoying fried chicken and beer on Monday at a seashore party in Incheon, a port city near the capital Seoul, drew massive media attention in South Korea. They were part of a 6,500-person tour group - the largest overseas group that South Korea has ever hosted - visiting the country on a weeklong trip organized by their employer.

The popularity of Korean pop culture, its TV shows and cheaper cosmetics and luxury goods have all helped the country appeal to Chinese visitors, but fierce competition among local tour operators led some to cut prices to such an extent that quality plummeted.

Hu Jinyan, a female retiree from Shandong province, said she and her friends experienced one of the cheap tours and had to endure filthy hotel rooms, compulsory shopping trips and expensive extras during a four-day trip to Seoul in October.

"It felt like we were on the bus heading to the next shop all the time without being given enough time to explore the city and scenic sites," said Hu, who paid less than 1,000 yuan ($154) for the trip.

Xu Xiaolei, an executive from China Youth Travel Service, said the cheapest four-day package - including flight, hotel and scenic site tickets to Seoul - should sell for more than 2,000 yuan.

"The quality of Korean tour agencies had always been high until recently when they were tarnished by some operators' bad practice of cutting the price, regardless of quality. It's really a positive move for the Korean government to crack down on them and I believe it will help enhance the experience for Chinese travelers," he said.

There are now 219 tour agencies that are authorized to handle Chinese travelers. The South Korean authorities hope to attract 8 million Chinese visitors this year by offering specialized packages that focus on such things as fashion, beauty and culture and by easing visa regulations, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

Su Zhou contributed to this story.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/31/2016 page5)