Gyeonggi-do Sees Fivefold Increase in Consumer Complaints About Overseas Travel Since COVID-19

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that complaints related to overseas travel by Gyeonggi Province residents have surged about fivefold due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 27th, Gyeonggi Province analyzed big data from consumer consultations submitted by Gyeonggi residents to the '1372 Consumer Counseling Center.' From January to February this year, the total number of consumer consultations from Gyeonggi residents was 37,917, a 14.3% increase compared to 33,167 cases during the same period last year.

The field with the highest number of consumer consultations was overseas travel, with 2,766 cases. This was followed by other health and hygiene products such as masks (1,389 cases), gyms and fitness centers (1,199 cases), and air passenger transportation (1,103 cases).

In particular, complaints related to overseas travel increased nearly fivefold compared to the same period last year (573 cases).

Overseas travel complaints began to rise after January due to cancellation penalties following the Australian wildfires and the Philippine volcanic eruption, and surged sharply last month as flight cancellations and entry restrictions expanded due to COVID-19.

The field of other health and hygiene products, including masks, also saw a significant increase in complaints after January 28, as demand for masks rose with the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

To respond to consumer damages related to masks, the province has been operating the nation's first mask consumer damage reporting center since January 31.

Additionally, since last month, to resolve disputes over cancellation penalties for weddings, first birthday parties, and overseas travel caused by the surge in COVID-19 cases, voluntary dispute mediation has been conducted since the 9th of this month.

A provincial official stated, "Based on the analysis of consumer consultation big data, Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen active damage handling to ensure consumer issues are not neglected during crisis situations such as COVID-19, and will continuously monitor fields where consumer damage is likely to spread to provide appropriate early responses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.