"Overseas Trips Canceled Just Before Departure"... Consumer Complaints on the Rise

Korea Consumer Agency Investigates Six OTA Platforms
246 Dispute Resolution Requests Filed Over the Past Three Years

With the rising demand for independent overseas travel, the use of local tours and transportation products through online travel agencies (OTAs) has increased, and related consumer disputes have also been on the rise.

According to a survey by the Korea Consumer Agency on six OTA platforms offering overseas local tours and transportation products (a total of 200 products), it was found that price display methods and cancellation and refund policies were insufficient and required improvement.

Over the past three years (from 2022 to August 2025), the Korea Consumer Agency received 246 requests for dispute resolution regarding overseas local tours and transportation products from the six OTAs, showing an increasing trend each year.

Travelers are bustling at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. 2025.12.31 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

An analysis of the types of damages showed that issues related to “breach of contract” accounted for the highest proportion at 28.0% (69 cases), most of which involved tours being provided differently from the schedule previously informed to the customer. This was followed by “contract termination” cases at 26.4% (65 cases), which included instances such as notification of unavailability just before the tour due to missing names from the reservation list or failure to meet the minimum number of participants. “Withdrawal of contract,” such as when a consumer requested cancellation immediately after purchase but the business refused to issue a refund, accounted for 25.6% (63 cases).

According to the standard terms and conditions for overseas travel contracts, if a travel agency cancels a contract due to not meeting the minimum number of participants, it must notify travelers at least seven days before departure. However, among the 100 tour products surveyed, only 22.0% (22 products) provided advance notice of the minimum participant requirement. Of these 22 products, most (72.7%, or 16 products) either notified travelers just 1–3 days before departure when the tour was canceled due to insufficient participants, or had no notification policy at all, indicating a need for improvement.

Under the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, online malls are required to display the total payment amount that consumers must pay on the first page. The survey found that in 20.5% (41 products), misleading price displays or advertisements were found, such as showing the child rate as the main price or displaying the price of an optional product as if it were the main product price. Additionally, in 2.5% (5 out of 200) of the products from the six OTAs surveyed, dark patterns were identified, such as displaying the price before additional fees on the first screen instead of the total price.

According to the standard terms and conditions for overseas travel contracts, in cases where travel cannot proceed due to force majeure such as natural disasters, the contract can be terminated by mutual agreement without compensation. However, among the six companies surveyed, 50.0% (three companies) had no separate policies in place for force majeure situations such as natural disasters.

Based on the results of this survey, the Korea Consumer Agency requested that the OTA companies surveyed: ▲ Notify consumers at least seven days before the travel date in the event of tour cancellation due to insufficient minimum participants; ▲ Clearly display the total price on the first screen of the product page; and ▲ Establish cancellation and refund standards to address force majeure situations such as natural disasters.

Additionally, consumers are advised to: ▲ Check the cancellation notice period and refund policy for tours with a minimum participant requirement; ▲ Carefully verify the final payment amount; and ▲ Be cautious when purchasing non-refundable products.

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