YUNNAN: A group of local tourists in China were held captive at a store after they refused to buy bedding products from a trader.
The bizarre incident took place at the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province in southwestern China.
According to a report by the Bailu Video news site, the 37 local tourists from Liaoning province were stranded on March 26.
The incident, which went viral after several tourists uploaded videos, showed workers at the store guarding the entrance to prevent the tourists from leaving the premises.
One of the videos showed several tourists lying or sitting on the beds. In one of the videos, a tourist could be heard saying, "No one is allowed to leave. We arrived at noon and we're still here," she said.
It is understood that each of them had paid 3,979 yuan (about RM2,625) to join the tour group managed by Liaoning Youde International Travel Service.
One of the tourists lamented the trip as it only involved shopping activities.
"I hadn't expected that all of our activities in Xishuangbanna would be about shopping," said a woman.
It is unknown how long the group was held at the store.
Following the viral videos, authorities launched an investigation.
The local market supervision and administration bureau, in a statement on WeChat, said the shop is owned by the Taisi Dika Sleep Technology Company. The tour was organised by a local travel agency, Faxian Zhilv, on behalf of Youde travel service.
Taisi Dika was slapped with a cease trading order while Faxian Zhilv was fined 10,000 yuan (about RM6,596). The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to the report, it's common for tourists in Yunnan to be forced to shop by tour guides.