In a bid to attract customers, some travel tour businesses offer ‘zero-dollar’ tours, which claim to cover the cost of transportation, accommodation, and meals for a lower cost than similar tours booked through an agent – however these tours often turn into a trap.
The old adage “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is” is a wise one to keep in mind with these tours. While on the surface these tours look good, they come with hidden costs and coercive tour guide behaviour.
The business model relies heavily on commissions from tourist shopping and tour guides may resort to coercion and threats of violence to ensure spending at selected stores that sell overpriced products.
If shopping quotas are not met, tour guides may refuse transportation or even insult and threaten tourists.
A tour group were reportedly 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.
According to the Xishuangbanna Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, the bedding shop was ordered to cease operations once the video came to light.
Also, the local tour guide, who was not licensed, was fined 10,000 yuan.
Several Chinese provinces and countries including Thailand have taken action against unscrupulous tour operators and travellers are being warned not to be fooled by the low costs.
