China’s notorious ‘zero-dollar’ tours are making headlines again.
A tour group were detained in a bedding shop for hours after refusing to buy goods, during a tour in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province.
Video posted online showed staff at the shop guarding the exit doors and refusing to let the tourists leave unless they made purchases.
They were apparently detained there for several hours.
The video caught the attention of authorities who have now taken action.
The tour was organised by Liaoning Youde International Travel Service and conducted by a local tour operator.
One of the tour guests complained they had been duped as there had been no sightseeing visits but only stops for shopping
“I hadn’t expected that all of our activities in Xishuangbanna would be about shopping,” the tour guest told the South China Morning Post.
According to the Xishuangbanna Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, the bedding shop was ordered to cease operations.
Also, the local tour guide, who was not licensed, was fined 10,000 yuan.
Zero-dollar tours have been slated for high pressure tactics – sometimes under the threat of violence – to force tourists to make purchases in shops.
Several Chinese provinces and countries including Thailand have taken action against unscrupulous tour operators.
