Korea

From June 27-29 I took my first Japanese package tour outside the country. It was a fascinating glimpse at the traveling habits of people who have very little time or experience traveling. Between each stop to an historic site or a group meal, we stopped at a shopping center or gift shop specifically geared to Japanese tourists. At the door, each member of our group was handed a number that corresponded to our tour. Then we were given a demonstration (such as the brief description of amethysts in Korean history or the taste-testing of kimchee) and given time to shop. If a purchase was made, the number would be shown to the clerk, who would then be sure to send a percentage of the sale to the travel agency. I'd heard horror stories of similar practices in Bangkok by tuk-tuk drivers and in Beijing by pedalcab drivers who are hired to give a tour of temples or historical neighborhoods, but who instead lead riders from one shop to the next, asking guests to buy just one thing. Hours later and having seen very little that was expected, frustrated riders are left with a feeling of being cheated of their time and trust.

I had similar feelings during my tour. For instance, although we were told that we would be visiting an amethyst shop, we were not given the option of just browsing or not taking the tour. Our cooperation was expected, as if we owed our time and attention to the shop clerks, and not the other way around, even when this mini-tour was not requested. When we were taken to the Lotte Duty Free Store, I asked prior to entering what time we would meet after shopping. I was told that my question would be answered when we reached our destination. So, I dutifully boarded the elevator with everyone else and rode to the 10th floor. Then I was handed a card that had my passport details (needed to make any purchases) and told to meet back at that spot in 90 minutes. This information could have been dispensed on the ground floor, but then how would I have been instructed where to shop?

Much to my surprise, however, all of my tour group participants made the most of their time and bought a great deal of gifts while I walked outside. No one questioned the actions of the tour leader. Given very little time outside of the country and an incredible number of gifts owed to neighbors, family members, and friends, they were all too happy to purchase what was placed in front of them.

Was I over-critical of their travel habits and the parallel system that had been created to cater specifically to us? What did I care that the tourists were directed toward overpriced items that would contribute to the bottom line of the travel company? Why did I desire to circumvent the tourist institutions that had been in place for years to cater to Japanese tourists? Why did I want to point out that we were paying 3 to 4 times more for our food and drinks than any non-tourists? Would anyone care? Especially because the tour group members work in the tourist industry themselves and are very conscious of how profits are created, did they not consider that we were being overcharged? Or did they not mind, precisely because they themselves participate in the same practices?

At every stop along the way, including the high-pressure sales at the kimchee shop on the way to the airport (which began with a quick taste-test that felt like an infomercial), my fellow passengers shopped. They bought goods at every stop and did so with smiles on their faces. They proudly discussed their purchases and only briefly bemoaned the amounts of money they'd spent on gifts (overall costing more than the trip itself for most).

Some factors contributing to their obedient behavior:
It was the first time out of the country for 8 of the 13, and only one had previously traveled outside the auspices of a groupt tour. This made her the most daring. The others were either used to being shuttled around or unwilling to accept the great responsibility that comes with traveling independently in a foreign country. With no language ability and no access to information (no internet use or access, no libraries nearby, no experience searching for travel information outside of Japan, no practice reading maps in another language), they lacked the basic skills required to travel independently. They also lacked the confidence to go it alone and hope that everything would work out fine. And given the tight schedule, they didn't want to leave that to chance. Plus, all of the experience and confidence that a backpacker in Europe might consider the essential building blocks to starting a trip abroad - all of that they could leave up to the travel agency. After all, that's what they were paying for. So what if they have to pay more for food and drinks, they are freed from the burden of choosing a place, making a reservation for 14, and making sure that the food will arrive in time to not prevent them from enjoying the rest of the day. Also, the company is responsible for ensuring that the food will be of a certain quality, letting the tourists avoid any bellyaches and complaints.

All in all, the tour was a carefully managed combination of all of the things that the guests wanted - a safe experience in another country, a chance to try new foods, the opportunity to buy gifts for the many people back home unable to share the experience, and time to escape from the immediate pressures of everyday life. Always in the back of their heads they knew that they had to return to work in only a few days, ready to face the demands of family members and neighbors. For a few days, they could be free from that, even though I saw them as confined in other ways.