Korea Pushes Fairer Tourism: Culture Ministry Teams with OTAs to Stop Overcharging
Creatrip Team
a month ago
On June 18 the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry (MOCT) met major online travel agencies (OTAs) at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History to strengthen consumer protections and fair practices in domestic tourism. Attendees included platforms such as NOL Universe, MyRealTrip, Yanolja (Yeo-gi-e-ddae company), TripVitoz, ThankYouCamping and Campfit. The ministry announced plans to introduce a “No Overcharge Safe Price System” (바가지 안심가격제) to curb repeated overcharging at tourist sites and local festivals, add penalties for unjustified booking cancellations under a Tourism Promotion Act revision, and tighten enforcement against accommodation price nondisclosure or misleading price displays through changes to enforcement ordinances. MOCT also urged OTAs to adopt voluntary consumer-protection measures and to verify business registrations when onboarding vendors to prevent sales by unregistered operators (e.g., informal campsites). The ministry said it will reflect industry input in supportive policies as it aims to build a trustworthy, fair travel environment amid accelerating digitalization of tourism.
