Complaints Surge as Tourist Numbers Rise, Reaching an All-Time High in Just Seven Months This Year

Complaints from tourists about overcharging, unilateral cancellations by accommodation providers and reckless taxi driving have surged this year, data showed.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)’s Korea Tourism Data Lab on the 6th, 1,753 tourism-related complaints were filed nationwide from January through July this year. That figure has already surpassed last year’s full-year total of 1,744, marking an all-time high.
The number of complaints fell to 119 in 2021 amid the impact of COVID-19, but rose each year as tourism recovered, reaching 902 in 2023, 1,543 in 2024 and 1,744 in 2025.
By region, Seoul recorded the most complaints with 665, followed by Busan with 594, Incheon Metropolitan City with 176 and Jeju Province with 155. In Busan, the number of complaints increased about 2.5-fold from the previous year as tourists flocked to the city for BTS’s world tour concert in June.
By category, general accommodations accounted for the largest number, with 500 complaints involving unilateral reservation cancellations and excessive cancellation fees. Shopping followed with 376 complaints, ahead of airports and airlines with 186, taxis with 182 and hotels with 146.
By nationality, Chinese nationals filed the most complaints, with 680 cases. Complaints from foreign nationals accounted for 84.3% of the total.
Yoon Ji-Hwan, a professor in the Department of Tourism at Kyung Hee University, said, “Complaints have increased along with the number of tourists. Tourism infrastructure, including transportation and accommodation facilities, must be expanded, while active guidance for businesses is needed to improve service quality.”
He particularly stressed that businesses need to exercise extra caution because cases of unfriendly service and overcharging can spread rapidly through social media.
[email protected] Jeong Sun-min Reporter