MULTIPLE travel agencies in Shenzhen canceled package tours to South Korea over the weekend as China’s top tourism authority warned tourists of risks after changes in South Korea’s entry policy for Chinese citizens Friday.

    The China National Tourism Administration warned Chinese citizens to be aware of the risks of overseas trips and asked them to carefully choose their destinations. It advised them to learn about South Korea’s entry policy and prepare documents as required.

    A general manager, surnamed Zhu, from Gangzhong International Travel Agency, said that the company had great hopes for package tours to South Korea this year but had to call off the tours after the destination country changed its policy regarding Chinese tourists.

    Meanwhile, some online tourist agencies in China, such as Tuniu, Tongcheng and Alitrip, have started taking South Korean tours off their shelves.

    Most of the practitioners from the tourism industry do not hold positive attitudes towards the future market of South Korean package tours, and the majority estimate that there will be a drastic reduction in the number of Chinese tourists in South Korea.

    One Shenzhen resident, who frequently visits South Korea, going by the alias Kingblue, said that she would not go there to buy more cosmetic products for her clients for a year.

    Another woman, who makes a living by purchasing and selling products made in South Korea, said that the worsening bilateral relations between China and South Korea had even created inconveniences in logistics, as China’s customs authority was getting tougher about checking goods delivered from South Korea. (Zhang Qian)