by STEVE HAN
The sign on the bottom says, “Because of a violent incident inside this store involving a Korean person, we are banning all Korean tourists.”
Hotels, retailers and restaurants on the resort island of Bali are rejecting Korean customers due to some who flout regulations to make the most of their stay, according to South Korean TV network SBS.
Korean tourists are reportedly finding new and creative methods of vacationing on the cheap at the Indonesian vacation destination, which is frustrating local business owners to no end.
Some schemes include tourists selling extra keys for their luxury hotel rooms to others who wish to use the hotel’s swimming pool without staying there, loading oceanfront gazebos with their luggage early in the morning to reserve their spaces and even launching online discussion forums to teach others how to complain and make requests for special accommodations in English.
SBS reports that these antics have prompted a number of local businesses to put signs on their doors prohibiting Korean customers from entering. It’s a bold and desperate move, given that South Korea sent around 25,392 tourists to the island last year, according to the Bali Tourism Board.
“There’s a pervading belief that Korean customers are evil,” the SBS report said. “There’s an ongoing movement to reject Korean customers. Some luxury hotels are turning down Korean tourists even when there are rooms available.”
