Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Koreans violate city laws other than smoking ban By Carlo P. Mallo
IT SEEMS that the ban on smoking in public places in Davao City is not the only law being violated by Koreans here.
A quick tour of main thoroughfares will reveal the sheer number of travel and tour operators that caters to the Koreans. However, it was learned that Department of Tourism (DOT) has accredited only three of them.
The accredited tour operators are: FastPass Tours, Joie de Vivre Travel and Tour, and TourDavao.com and Travel Corporation, DOT 11 Regional Director Sonia V. Garcia said.
Garcia added that illegal tour operators usually operate behind a legitimate business, like a restaurant.
But, Garcia said, "we have no data as to how many of them are operating in the city."
"It is very difficult to give an estimate as to how many are fly by night as they are dependent on the Korean business... they come and go," Garcia said when prodded as to how many tour operators catering to Koreans are legal.
Moreover, Garcia also revealed that most of the tour and travel operators that cater to the Korean market source their tour guides from Cebu.
"Tour guides must be locals," Garcia said. She added that some of the tour guides are not even licensed. "Though they can have some tour guides from Cebu who will help in the translations, it is necessary that there are still local tour guides," Garcia said.
Incidentally, tourist vehicles catering to Korean tourists are also without franchise from the Land Transportation and Franchising Board (LTFRB).
