Malaysian Tourists Criticized for Sending 1,200 Taobao Parcels to China Hotel

A Malaysian tour group visiting China has drawn criticism online after ordering about 1,200 parcels through Taobao and having them delivered to their hotel in Xi’an, where the packages were reportedly scattered across the lobby and front desk. The incident was shared by a travel agency in a video posted on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, according to China Press.

In the video, hotel staff can be seen scrambling to sort and distribute the parcels to the correct members of the tour group. The footage also showed hundreds of parcels piled up in the lobby area, creating what appeared to be a major logistical burden for the hotel. One member of the group was also seen using a large plastic bag to carry around 50 parcels back to her room, highlighting the scale of the shopping spree.

The video has since been deleted, but it sparked strong backlash from internet users in China. Many criticised the Malaysian tour group for being inconsiderate to hotel staff and for creating unnecessary work for employees who were already busy with their regular duties. Some online commenters said the hotel workers were forced to spend extra time sorting, moving and handling the parcels, leaving them exhausted.

“The staff are not your personal parcel managers,” one netizen wrote, reflecting the tone of much of the online criticism. Others said the group’s actions showed a lack of consideration for the hotel’s operations and for the workload placed on staff members.

The incident has also reignited broader discussion online about visitor behaviour, hotel etiquette and the responsibilities of tour groups when receiving large numbers of deliveries during a trip. While online shopping and parcel delivery are common in China, the volume of packages in this case appeared to overwhelm the hotel and caused visible disruption in a public area.

The report, published by China Press and carried by The Star/Asia News Network, did not specify whether the hotel had approved the bulk deliveries in advance or whether any rules were breached. However, the reaction on social media suggests many users viewed the situation as an example of poor judgement and disrespect toward service staff.

The episode underscores how travel-related behaviour can quickly become a source of public controversy online, especially when large groups are involved and hotel staff are left to manage the consequences. For many commenters, the issue was not the shopping itself but the decision to send such a large number of parcels to a hotel without regard for the burden it might place on workers.