Overseas Flight Bookings Surge 442% in the First Week After Residual Vaccine Injections Begin
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] As COVID-19 vaccinations accelerate, expectations for the resumption of overseas travel are rising. Wemakeprice announced on the 7th that overseas flight ticket reservations surged by up to 5.4 times (442%) in the week following the opening of the COVID-19 leftover vaccine reservation service compared to the previous week. Since leftover vaccine reservations became available online from the 27th of last month and vaccinations began to increase in earnest, this is interpreted as reflecting growing expectations for overseas travel.
In particular, recent news that major foreign countries are allowing quarantine-free entry for vaccinated travelers, and that domestic airlines are preparing to resume overseas routes in the second half of the year, appears to have triggered a surge in travel demand. Wemakeprice had previously introduced overseas flight tickets available for departure after the period when travel without self-quarantine became possible in March. This product allows customers to pay first and select travel dates within one year based on the date when quarantine exemptions between the destination country and Korea take effect. Currently, flights to Oceania, Southeast Asia, Greater China, and Japan can be booked at the same price without additional peak season charges.
As the number of visitors to Jeju continues to increase steadily, flight promotions and real-time rental car services for Jeju travel products are being launched one after another. Wemakeprice’s 'Jeju Real-Time Rental Car' service, opened last month, allows immediate reservation of about 18,000 Jeju rental cars ranging from compact cars to imported vehicles without waiting. Since the start of leftover vaccine vaccinations, Jeju flight bookings have increased by 14%, Jeju rental car bookings by 27%, and domestic accommodation reservations including hotels, pensions, and resorts have risen by 43%.
A Wemakeprice official said, "As full-scale vaccinations begin, pent-up travel consumption that had been stagnant is rapidly surging, so-called revenge travel demand." He added, "We will continue to introduce travel products that allow customers to travel as soon as possible at reasonable prices once travel becomes possible."
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