China: Tourists held captive in shop for 'not buying' products
A group of 37 holidaymakers from Liaoning province in China were reportedly held captive inside a mattress shop for several hours after they refused to buy its bedding products. According to NetEase, their tour guide had left, and the shop personnel kept asking them to buy stuff if they wanted to leave. In a video shot by one of the tourists, several of her fellow travelers can be seen sitting and lying on mattresses.
Incident unveiled through tourist's video
The incident, which took place on March 26 in Yunnan province, came to light through a video recorded by one of the detained tourists. "This is the shop that sells latex mattresses in Xishuangbanna. We arrived at noon and we're still here," said the tourist who filmed the clip, as quoted by SCMP. It is unclear how long the party was detained in the shop, although it is assumed to have been many hours before they were finally freed.
Investigation and consequences of the incident
The tourists said that they each paid 3,979 yuan ($550) to join a group tour to Yunnan that was organized by Liaoning Youde International Travel Service. After the video went viral on social media, local officials launched an investigation into the incident. Subsequently, authorities fined the tour guide 10,000 yuan ($1,380) for not having a valid working license. The shop, which is owned by the Taisi Dika Sleep Technology Company, was also ordered to cease trading.
Previous similar incidents
Shockingly, instances where travelers are coerced into shopping are common in Yunnan, according to the South China Morning Post. In February, a tour guide instructed a family of five to leave a tour bus after they declined to purchase a gold bracelet for 50,000 yuan ($7,000). Similarly, a tour guide in southwestern China was investigated in August last year after a video surfaced showing him "threatening" tourists and bullying them into shopping while on an eco-tour.